Defaults delayed, not defeated
As a second wave of COVID-19 rolls around the world, both consumers and corporates remain under pressure. A flood of liquidity and prompt government action have successfully delayed many defaults, but that does not mean the default cycle is over. Having benefitted from the recent rally in credit markets, we believe it’s important to remain…
The way forward is littered with landmines
Even though markets have seemingly settled down over the last two months, investors are still faced with a difficult environment to navigate. Simon Doyle shares how in his 30 years of investing, 2020 has been one of the most difficult environments to date. I have been in markets for over 30 years, and the first…
How COVID-19 has changed the way we work
One of the many things COVID-19 has had a dramatic impact on is the way many of us work. Those fortunate enough to be able to work from home have been able to adapt to this new reality – and it certainly has been “new”. Perhaps the biggest question for both employers and employees is…
CommSed Daily Report Tuesday
Latest news The Australian sharemarket is off to its best start in a fortnight, with the ASX 200 lifting by 2.04 per cent to 6,047.2, following solid gains from US and European markets and better manufacturing data. Keep in mind that shares briefly hit fiveweek lows on Monday and slumped by 2 per cent on…
Brisbane petrol prices hit 4-month high. Record lift in inflation; Job ads rebound.
Brisbane petrol prices hit 4-month high Record lift in inflation; Job ads rebound Weekly Petrol Prices; Job advertisements; Inflation gauge Fuel prices: According to the Australian Institute of Petroleum, the national average price of unleaded petrol fell by 1.6 cents to 124.1 cents a litre last week. And the national average diesel petrol price fell…
Mistakes can lead to investing opportunities
Most people are familiar with the saying ‘Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me’. Although made famous more recently by George W Bush, it’s genesis is much earlier, found in a book1 dating from 1651 that cited an Italian proverb: ‘He that deceives me once, it’s his fault; but if…
Investing in the things you believe in
Sustainable investing is becoming more sought-after amongst investors look to ensure their investments are helping to shape better environment and social outcomes. We’ve compiled an overview of the main sustainable investment strategies to help assist those seeking to understand which approach may best suit their goals. An increasing number of investors are now looking to…
Australia needs a six-month GST holiday
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has spent billions trying to save us from recession. The winding down of JobKeeper scheduled for September means he’ll have to spend billions more. Many of the stimulus measures talked about are focused on the traditional targets of infrastructure and residential construction. But this recession is different to previous ones. It has…
Huawei’s window of opportunity closes
When the United Kingdom completed its telecom supply chain review last year it gave a green light to Huawei by concluding that nationality-based bans did nothing to improve network security and could actually harm it by weakening competition. Executives at Huawei celebrated what they saw as a victory for evidence-based decision-making. The decision also seemed…
Corporate Australia: Alert, not alarmed
Corporate Australia: Alert, not alarmed Economic & Financial Trends Corporate Australia & COVID-19: CommSec has assessed earnings announcements of 155 of Australia’s largest companies to gauge the reaction to this year’s COVID-19 crisis. While a third of companies withdrew earnings guidance, only 10 per cent deferred dividends and around 5 per cent of companies cancelled…
