Why investors should care about inflation
Inflation is a hot topic at the moment. We explain what it is and how it affects your spending, savings, loans and investments. Inflation is a hot topic at the moment. But what exactly is it, and how does it affect you and your money? Inflation is making news daily through wage inflation, energy inflation,…
It’s hard for the RBA to walk away from Q4 inflation numbers
There’s no doubt inflation is becoming an issue given the 3.5% annualised growth rate printed today. It’s hard to see how the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) walks away and we reiterate our view last week that interest rates will rise sooner than expected, probably in the second half of this year. The RBA is…
The era of stimulus is over
Former Fed chair Janet Yellen famously said that central bank policy should be like ‘watching paint dry: uneventful, unsurprising and dull. She didn’t get her wish in 2017, when she expressed it ahead of the Federal Reserve’s last attempt to put US monetary policy back on a path to normal. And her successor Jerome Powell…
How using super for housing could cut costs 50%
During the past four decades in which home ownership among Australians aged 25-34 has sunk from around 60% to 45%, home ownership among the same age group in Singapore has climbed from around 60% to 88%. There’s a good chance that’s because Singapore is doing something right. What Singapore has that Australia does not is…
2022 Global Alternatives Outlook
J.P. Morgan Releases 2022 Alternatives Outlook Urging Investors to Embrace Megatrends to Overcome Challenging Public Markets The Alternatives industry’s highly comprehensive report features views from the firm’s 18 investment engines across private credit, private equity, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, transportation and timber. January 21, 2022 – J.P. Morgan Asset Management today released its fourth…
3 local solutions to replace coal
As the world shifts to renewable energy, helping the communities that have depended on fossil fuels for jobs is becoming ever more pressing. The 2015 Paris Agreement notes the imperative of a “just transition” for affected workforces, with “the creation of decent work and quality jobs” to replace those lost. Trade unionists have been arguing…
Jobs growth builds case for a rate hike
The better-than-expected job print reported yesterday was not a surprise. The huge fiscal and monetary nuclear bombs thrown at the economy during consecutive lockdowns have done their job. In fact, they’ve probably been too effective in that we now have a problem that things are improving much quicker than expected. Australia’s record-low unemployment is not…
Statewide Superannuation to pay $4 million penalty
The Federal Court has imposed combined penalties of $4 million on Statewide Superannuation Pty Ltd (Statewide) for providing members with misleading information regarding their insurance and failing to breach report the issue to ASIC in the time required by law. ASIC Deputy Chair Sarah Court said, ‘Statewide provided misleading communication to thousands of its members,…
Shake it off: Recovery expected, but risks remain
Against a backdrop of the ongoing pandemic, tighter regulation in China, and the prospect of reduced policy support from global central banks, 2021 has not been without its risks. However, as we look to the new year, we see opportunities for careful, bottom-up stock pickers in a wide range of industries across Asia. Fidelity’s Matthew…
Outlook 2022: Sustainable investment
ESG (environment, social governance) investing has entered the mainstream. According to analysis by Bloomberg, ESG assets soared to an unprecedented $37.8 trillion by the end of 2021 and are predicted to grow to $53 trillion by 2025, which would be a third of all global assets under management. This rise is mirrored by a growing…
