12 October 2017

Introducing Frank

by Michael Brown , Director, Operations & Finance

Meet Frank. He works in the ATO but Frank is cool. Frank gives you money rather than takes it away from you. Here, we introduce you to Frank so you can understand how he works and get the best out of him. Frank packs the greatest punch when he’s operating at 100%.

12 October 2017

Digging deeper into resources

by Russel Chesler , Director, Investments & Portfolio Strategy

In 2017 resources stocks are performing well, following commodity prices higher. VanEck Vectors Australian Resources ETF (ASX code: MVR) is a well-diversified portfolio which caps individual companies at 8% giving investors one ASX trade access to 25 resource stocks.

MVR’s one year absolute and relative performance has been very strong and in a rising interest rate environment resource equities have historically performed well.

12 October 2017

Gold momentum stalled by Fed expectations

by Joe Foster , Portfolio Manager and Strategist

The momentum that gold had established continued into early September but failed to last as the market prepared for upcoming actions from the Federal Reserve.   

11 October 2017

Moats with efficient scale boast few competitors

by Brett Liddell , CFA

“Efficient scale” is a moat source that often applies when demand from a market of limited size is effectively satisfied by one or a small group of companies.

29 September 2017

The yield chasers

by Russel Chesler , Director, Investments & Portfolio Strategy

In today's low interest rate environment, investors who seek high, predictable income find it difficult to achieve their goals. The search for more income involves taking on more risk. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) offer yield-seeking investors access to a variety of asset classes that generate income. With ETFs, you do not have to lock your money away for a year with a bank in a term deposit, rather you buy and sell on ASX when you need to. Some ETFs pay income well above the returns paid by term deposits, however it's important investors understand the risks of the different ETF options available.

15 September 2017

Homer Simpson dragging down Australian banks

by Brad Livingstone-Foggo , Head of Marketing - Australia

Research this week released by UBS indicates that nearly one third of Australian mortgage applications were completed with the same accuracy as Homer Simpson’s. The impact of so-called ‘liar loans’ could be detrimental to banks, but there is a simple way Australian investors can significantly reduce their exposure to a sector facing significant headwinds while improving diversification to the broader Australian market.