FS Advice - Investment Articles

Investment Articles

LIAM DONOHUE | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 DEC 2018

The listed Australian small companies' market is known for its significant capital growth, wealth creation and most importantly the fostering of ... Read more

Investing for the long term: 'Future quality' companies

JAMES KINGHORN | Comments | FRIDAY, 7 DEC 2018

The Nikko Asset Management global equity team philosophy is based on the belief that investing in 'future quality' companies will lead to ... Read more

Why global bonds?

DAVID HOFFMAN , STEPHEN SMITH , THEODORE FETTER | Comments | FRIDAY, 30 NOV 2018

Global bonds: An opportune investment Global bonds are a unique opportunity class that can produce superior returns and provide diverse sources of ... Read more

Blending alpha-seeking, factor and indexing strategies: A new framework (Part two)

LISA O'CONNOR , SIMONA PARAVANI-MELLINGHOFF | Comments | FRIDAY, 23 NOV 2018

Blending alpha, factors and index Our empirical work can be applied in a variety of contexts, no matter the investor's portfolio construction ... Read more

Blending alpha-seeking, factor and indexing strategies: A new framework (Part one)

JEAN BOIVIN , LISA O'CONNOR , SIMONA PARAVANI-MELLINGHOFF | Comments | FRIDAY, 16 NOV 2018

Blending alpha-seeking and index products has become more challenging as the number of indices has increased and factor strategies have emerged to ... Read more

Bank greed and latent risks

DAMIEN WOOD | Comments | FRIDAY, 9 NOV 2018

Fish apparently rot from the head down. The chief executives of Australia's big four banks have helped themselves to monster pay rises over the past ... Read more

Skin in the game

KANIKA SOOD | Comments | MONDAY, 15 OCT 2018

Three men sit huddled together, watching a video that plays on a computer screen in a large-ish empty room. Sounds like a late-night university study ... Read more

How to profit from market myths

ANDREW MACKEN | Comments | FRIDAY, 5 OCT 2018

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy delivered Yale's graduating class of 1962 a piece of advice that all investors should hold dear: "The ... Read more

Emerging debt in a rising interest rate environment

CARL ROSS | Comments | FRIDAY, 31 AUG 2018

As a fixed income asset class with relatively high duration, sovereign emerging debt is sensitive to interest rates. But is there anything else we can ... Read more

Why equal weighting outperforms

MICHAEL BROWN | Comments | THURSDAY, 9 AUG 2018

Equally weighted portfolios outperform their market capitalisation counterparts over the long term and over almost all short term periods. The ... Read more

Goldilocks and the three bears

DOMINICK DEALTO | Comments | FRIDAY, 3 AUG 2018

As 2018 began, the consensus market narrative was centered around a Goldilocks scenario characterised by synchronised strong global growth and modest ... Read more

Is investing starting to get difficult again?

BEN INKER | Comments | FRIDAY, 29 JUN 2018

For the last eight years, investing has seemed to be a pretty easy activity to most observers. Not only have markets given strong returns, but the ... Read more

As good as it gets?

DOMINICK DEALTO | Comments | THURSDAY, 7 JUN 2018

What a difference a quarter makes. When I last wrote in January, we remained cautiously risk on, but extremely nervous in the process. As I noted at ... Read more

ESG: Improving your risk-adjusted returns in emerging markets

BINU GEORGE , HARDIK SHAH | Comments | FRIDAY, 18 MAY 2018

The demand for environmental, social, and governance (ESG) or responsible investing (RI) is growing at a rapid pace with nearly USD 23 trillion of ... Read more

A fork in the road

ROGER MONTGOMERY | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAY 2018

We are value investors for many reasons, one of which is that establishing an estimated intrinsic value provides an anchor or a solid point of ... Read more

Vanguard Economic and Market Outlook for 2018 (Part two)

JOSEPH DAVIS | Comments | THURSDAY, 29 MAR 2018

Part one of this paper, from the previous week, discussed Vanguard's global economic and growth outlooks, as well their perspective on Australia ... Read more

Vanguard Economic and Market Outlook for 2018 (Part one)

JOSEPH DAVIS | Comments | FRIDAY, 23 MAR 2018

Vanguard's distinct approach to forecasting To treat the future with the deference it deserves, Vanguard has long believed that market forecasts ... Read more

Investment stewardship for positive societal impact

GEORGE SERAFEIM | Comments | FRIDAY, 9 MAR 2018

In recent years, the growth of investor interest in sustainable investing has been remarkable. As that interest has grown, the response of ... Read more

Three ways to win

ANDREW MACKEN | Comments | THURSDAY, 15 FEB 2018

When Leonardo da Vinci was sketching out his design for one of the earliest parachutes in the year 1483, he no doubt understood the consequences of ... Read more

Fixed income strategy

JEFFREY ROSENBERG | Comments | FRIDAY, 9 FEB 2018

Cold winter weather provides some inspiration for the lead theme for the 2018 fixed income outlook: fuel for (over)heating. The heat of global ... Read more

What happened to inflation?

BEN INKER | Comments | THURSDAY, 25 JAN 2018

A year ago, the US economy seemed poised for a significant shift, but now we're left with continued uncertainty about where interest rates will ... Read more

Making the implicit explicit

VANGUARD INVESTMENTS | Comments | FRIDAY, 12 JAN 2018

Imagine for a moment that you live in a world with only two fund options: a passive managed fund and an actively managed fund with similar levels of ... Read more

Getting active - the next evolution in exchange traded funds

DAVID BASSANESE | Comments | FRIDAY, 8 DEC 2017

The Australian Exchange Traded Products (ETPs) sector of the funds management industry has grown rapidly in recent years and continues to evolve with ... Read more

A fixed income portfolio manager's perspective on 'yield enhancement'

KIERAN QUAINE | Comments | THURSDAY, 7 SEP 2017

Kieran Quaine, Head of FIIG's Managed Income Portfolio Service (MIPS) answers frequently asked questions, candidly discussing the strategies that he ... Read more

Emerging value and margin of superiority

BEN INKER | Comments | FRIDAY, 1 SEP 2017

Long-time GMO clients have become accustomed to a certain kind of behavior from our asset allocation portfolios. If they are reading stories about how ... Read more

The rise of passive investing

JAMES SMITH | Comments | THURSDAY, 24 AUG 2017

Active Versus Passive Funds At various times in investment cycles the familiar theme of active management versus passive management gains the ... Read more

Investing in alternative risk premia

ASHISH TIWARI , BRAD GUYNN | Comments | FRIDAY, 11 AUG 2017

In pursuit of returns and diversification, growing numbers of investors are turning to alternative risk premia (ARP) strategies, which offer access to ... Read more

Global listed infrastructure: past, present, future

ANDREW GREENUP | Comments | THURSDAY, 27 JUL 2017

The past decade has witnessed the birth of a new asset class: Global Listed Infrastructure Securities (GLIS). While investors have embraced ... Read more

Non-concessional contributions strategies

CLAUDINE SIOU | Comments | FRIDAY, 2 JUN 2017

Existing rules apply until 30 June 2017 making it easier to plan for non-concessional contributions before the caps drop dramatically on 1 July 2017. ... Read more

Investing in line with your values

SIMON O'CONNOR | Comments | FRIDAY, 2 JUN 2017

Late last year an outrage occurred in New Zealand when it was revealed that all the default KiwiSaver funds on the market were holding investments in ... Read more

Scaling it back

ANDREW BALLS , JOACHIM FELS | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 MAR 2017

With her speech entitles 'From Adding Accommodation to Scaling It Back" on 3 March 2017, US Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen not only ... Read more

Emerging Markets: Mapping the Opportunities

MICHAEL HASENSTAB | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 MAR 2017

The last several years have been trying for emerging markets, with 2015 marking the fifth consecutive year of decelerating growth. As the immediate ... Read more

Economic Update

ALEX JOINER | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 MAR 2017

Markets are focused heavily on policy speeches given in the US this month. The first came with President Donald Trump delivering a more measured ... Read more

Managed portfolios: a sound investment in your clients and your business

HUB24 PTY LTD | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 MAR 2017

It is no secret that financial advisers are under increasing pressure to grow their business which means focusing on revenue growth and profitability ... Read more

Leverage: where advisers fear to tread

JULIE MCKAY | Comments | FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017

A customer meets an adviser for the first time. After a discussion, the adviser comes to understand two things about their new customer: they have big ... Read more

Stocks or property: where to invest next?

ROGER MONTGOMERY | Comments | FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017

East coasters who believe property cannot turn lower should really take a look at what is now being experienced in Perth, Western Australia, right now. ... Read more

Owning and conducting a business as a fund investment

GRAEME COLLEY | Comments | FRIDAY, 13 JAN 2017

Whether a fund is able to conduct business activity, comply with the superannuation rules and not fall foul of a range of other issues must be met with ... Read more

mFund: Platform to the future?

JAMIE WILLIAMSON | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 OCT 2016

Despite having what many have described as a slow start, the ASX's mFund platform has gained considerable traction amongst investment managers ... Read more

The how and why of investing in agriculture

DAVID BASSANESE | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 OCT 2016

Although Australia is a major agricultural exporter, the typical Australian investor's portfolio tends to have relatively low exposure to ... Read more

The impact of carbon on share price

KATHRYN MCDONALD | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 OCT 2016

Much of the work that has been done to date on the subject of pricing carbon involves predicting future regulations or the assessments of economic ... Read more

Impact Investing

AMANDA YOUNG | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 OCT 2016

Impact investing - once a niche corner of the market - has entered the mainstream. This has been driven by increasing awareness among investors of the ... Read more

What to look for in unlisted real estate funds

ADRIAN HARRINGTON | Comments | FRIDAY, 14 OCT 2016

In the current low interest rate environment, the hunt for yield is a powerful force. Non-residential real estate via listed real estate investment ... Read more

Building a "Smart Carbon" portfolio

IAN SIMM | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 JUN 2016

The debate around the "carbon bubble", un-burnable carbon, stranded assets and fossil fuel divestment has attracted significant media and ... Read more

Investing in the grey boom

CHRIS DEVES | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 JUN 2016

Real estate, given its functional and intrinsic value, is a corollary of social forces. It is the brick-and-mortar response to how we live our lives ... Read more

Bonds Live to Die Another Day

ANDREW CORMACK | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 JUN 2016

The Australian pension industry is one of the fastest growing holders of retirement assets globally. Between 2005 and 2015 pension assets grew at an ... Read more

Risk is in the eye of the beholder

SCOTT LAWRENCE | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 JUN 2016

With our investor's best financial interests in mind, how can we best navigate through the uncertainty of financial markets? ... Read more

What has everybody been worried about?

TODD MCCLONE | Comments | FRIDAY, 24 JUN 2016

Despite recent signs of improvement, investor sentiment about emerging markets has been fundamentally depressed over the past year. Relative to their ... Read more

The rise of the millennials

AMANDA YOUNG | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

The financial industry and the products it supplies have always evolved to meet market challenges and opportunities. Today is no different. One of the ... Read more

The ageing brain: the impact of ageing on financial decisions

BRIE WILLIAMS | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

Ask 10 investors what risk management means to them and you could get 10 answers that all focus on market risk, even though most have never hedged ... Read more

Australia's financial system and climate risk

KATE MACKENZIE | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

Climate change is already having wide-ranging economic effects, which are expected to become more intense. The exact nature and severity of these ... Read more

Calmer Cs ahead? How China, commodities and central banks dominate the global outlook

JOACHIM FELS , ANDREW BALLS | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

Navigating an environment of tepid nominal growth and near-zero or negative interest rates was never going to be easy. Still, the events that have ... Read more

Adviser's Alpha

PAUL CHIN , DONALD BENNYHOFF , FRANCIS KINNIRY | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

How do sophisticated advisers construct portfolios in Australia? Typically, they use some form of asset allocation process to determine the most ... Read more

Boring returns make all the difference when it comes to equities

JOHN DYALL | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

When people buy equities they are buying more than part ownership of a company. They are buying multiple sources of return: Dividends, retained ... Read more

Adviser's alpha

FRANCIS KINNIRY | Comments | FRIDAY, 4 MAR 2016

How do sophisticated advisers construct portfolios in Australia? Typically, they use some form of asset allocation process to determine the most ... Read more

Impact investing through private equity

ROBECOSAM PRIVATE EQUITY | Comments | TUESDAY, 3 NOV 2015

Impact investing is a global phenomenon, gaining momentum and focus around the world. A number of international initiatives have emerged to trigger the ... Read more

Top 10 trends in the Australian wealth management industry

DARREN STEVENS | Comments | TUESDAY, 3 NOV 2015

Escalating social and demographic changes to the traditional client base, together with the unabated adoption of digital delivery, are transforming the ... Read more

Derivatives gratify our being human

WAI-YEE CHEN | Comments | TUESDAY, 3 NOV 2015

The instinct to protect ourselves from harm is instinctual. But we do make conscious decisions to go against this instinct, in pursuit of something ... Read more

Seven essential tips for managing currency risk

JONATHAN SHEAD | Comments | THURSDAY, 11 DEC 2014

While international investments have the potential to deliver real benefits, they are also exposed to currency fluctuations. Currency can turn a loss ... Read more

Understanding and selecting managed account services

BRETT SANDERS , MATHEW BIRCH , RHONDA LEE QUAN | Comments | THURSDAY, 11 DEC 2014

Managed accounts have been accelerating in popularity in the past few years with funds under management (FUM) estimated at over $15 billion and there ... Read more

Client onboarding - First impressions drive lifetime outcomes

RICHARD DUNKERLEY | Comments | THURSDAY, 11 DEC 2014

Research conducted by the Aite Group1, in the US, found that only 30% percent of wealth management businesses regard the client onboarding process as ... Read more

Advice from a rising star

BENJAMIN BUDGE | Comments | THURSDAY, 11 DEC 2014

Ben Budge is the Association of Financial Advisers (AFA) rising star for 2014. But above all, he is a trusted adviser. Building a trusting relationship ... Read more

Are traditional investment theories and techniques becoming irrelevant?

MATTHEW DAVIS | Comments | MONDAY, 9 JUL 2012

In recent times it would seem that relying on the tenets of traditional investment theory has become an excuse for fund managers and investment ... Read more

Australian equity managers: separating luck from skill

RICK DI MASCIO | Comments | MONDAY, 5 DEC 2011

This Inalytics paper quantifies how misleading track records are as an indicator of skill. We provide evidence that even fund managers with no skill in ... Read more

The economic costs of excessive short-termism

MARK ARNOLD | Comments | MONDAY, 5 DEC 2011

Short-termism is a pandemic that continues to flourish unchecked within financial markets, resulting in significant long-term economic costs to ... Read more

Aussie Rules – The new trading landscape for Australian equities

STEVE GROB | Comments | MONDAY, 5 DEC 2011

With ASX's launch of its new smart order routing system and the go-live of Chi-X in Australia, it is clear that the Australian trading landscape ... Read more

Australian accounting firms move into the Cloud to administer SMSFs

WOLF SCHUMACHER | Comments | MONDAY, 1 AUG 2011

The emergence of cloud computing in the wealth management industry is changing the way accountants and advisers do business. This paper presents three ... Read more

Back in (the) black

JOHN MCBAIN | Comments | MONDAY, 1 AUG 2011

In this paper, Back in (the) black - Unlisted property as part of a properly diversified portfolio: what advisers should be telling their clients, John ... Read more

How to select a transition manager

SIMON HUTCHINSON | Comments | FRIDAY, 11 MAR 2011

In his paper, "How to select a transition manager", Hutchinson examines the best techniques that can be applied when selecting a transition ... Read more

Understanding "Greed and Fear' - the key to successful investing

ROBERT VAN MUNSTER | Comments | FRIDAY, 11 MAR 2011

Van Munster, head of Australian equities at Tyndall Investments, looks at the affect that investor emotions take on their own behaviour and, in turn ... Read more

High Net Worth Individuals and Sustainable Investment Part II - Sustainable Investment Products

MATT CHRISTENSEN | Comments | THURSDAY, 14 JAN 2010

In the previous issue, Part I of Matt Christensen's paper, he defined Sustainable Investment as an investment philosophy that combines ... Read more

Inflation - Say Hello to a Little Friend

DANIEL LIPTAK | Comments | THURSDAY, 14 JAN 2010

Daniel Liptak says that high inflation is usually associated with an economic environment that is high in fiscal deficits and reeling from severe ... Read more

Agribusiness Managed Investment Schemes

DYLAN GREENWAY | Comments | SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009

Dylan Greenway provides a brief introduction to agricultural schemes which have recently had such bad press. Greenway argues that agricultural schemes ... Read more

High Net Worth Individuals and Sustainable Investments

MATT CHRISTENSEN | Comments | SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009

Matt Christensen is Executive Director of Eurosif which is the premier European think tank and industry association for sustainable investment. Eurosif ... Read more

Commodities Commotion

CHRISTOPHER BURTON , ANDREW KARSH | Comments | SATURDAY, 10 JAN 2009

According to Christopher Burton and Andrew Karsh commodities offer significant diversification opportunities which may reduce overall portfolio risk and ... Read more

Saving Mr Credit

DEON JOUBERT | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

I was standing in a corner store queue in South Africa during a recent trip to see my family. While I was waiting my turn to pay, a sign hanging above ... Read more

Contracts for difference (CFDs) - an introduction

ANDREW LEELARTHAEPIN | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

What is a CFD? A contract for difference, also commonly known as a CFD, is defined as an agreement between two parties to exchange the difference ... Read more

The case for alternatives

DOMINIC MCCORMICK | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

This paper addresses some of the key issues and benefits of altern at give investments from SELECT's perspective. We hope that it will assist ... Read more

Insurance bonds re-invented - a tax paid master fund

ROSS HIGGINS | Comments | SUNDAY, 1 JAN 2006

Financial advisers have a new way to improve after-tax investment performance for higher taxed clients. By using imputation bonds, they can combine the ... Read more

Investing in direct property for better investment performance

RICHARD STACKER | Comments | SUNDAY, 1 JAN 2006

Direct property investments are unlisted managed funds investing in properties built for business, such as office, retail, industrial and other ... Read more

Investing today versus the 80s and 90s

HAROLD SHAPIRO | Comments | SUNDAY, 1 JAN 2006

Australians have always been savvy investors, scrutinising investment options and tailgating the trends. Yesteryear it was large pooled super funds ... Read more

Choosing a fund manager: Measuring manager skills

RICK DI MASCIO | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

The days of investors and planners relying on fund managers' track records to judge their performance are over. Inalytics introduces a new approach ... Read more

Myths and realities of hedge fund investing

ROBERT JAEGER | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

Everybody's talking about hedge funds, but a lot of what they're saying doesn't make much sense. Some of the nonsense emanates from within ... Read more

International equities: man or machine?

STEWART BRENTNALL | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

After more than three years of exceptional returns from Australian equities, financial advisers and the research houses and fund managers that serve ... Read more

The strategic use of options in a portfolio

WAI-YEE CHEN | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

Many everyday investors do not use options as part of their investment strategy; it is viewed as either too risky or too complex. There are numerous ... Read more

Stepping beyond the tracks record to shed light on investment skill

RICK DI MASCIO | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

The 20th century British economist John Maynard Keynes has said "Markets can be wrong for longer than you can be solvent." This sentiment ... Read more

Beyond a "Zero Sum Game": How currencies can add alpha and lower risk

CHARLES JACKLIN | Comments | MONDAY, 1 JAN 2007

Conventional wisdom suggests that attempting to add value through the active management of currencies is doomed to failure due to the efficiency of the ... Read more

Managed accounts and the superannuation environment

TRACY BYRNE | Comments | TUESDAY, 1 JAN 2008

Managed accounts are not new - they are an evolution in money management in Australia - retail unit trusts, master trust, wrap and now managed accounts. ... Read more

Contracts for difference - an introduction for planners

DAVID SKILTON | Comments | TUESDAY, 1 JAN 2008

The increase in popularity of contracts for difference (CFDs) has been one of the hottest topics in personal finance over the past few years. From a ... Read more

Self-funding instalments - wanted: dead or alive

ROBERT DEUTSCH | Comments | FRIDAY, 22 MAY 2009

Robert Deutsch works for The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS). He details how and why many self funded instalments were largely withdrawn from the market during ... Read more

Margin lending in today's environment

JULIE MCKAY | Comments | FRIDAY, 22 MAY 2009

Julie McKay works for Leveraged Equities. Her paper provides excellent background research on why using gearing to build wealth over the medium- to long-term ... Read more

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