Over the last decade there’s been an explosion in the number and types of listed products available to Australian investors. There’s been a commensurate increase in the number of investors – and financial advisers – using listed securities and products in diversified portfolios. This article, proudly sponsored by GSFM, examines some of the ethical issues... Read more
28
Sep
2020
The world depicted in many economics textbooks is populated by completely informed consumers who value choice and make perfectly rational decisions. Such a world is, of course, mythical. In the real world, decisions are an outcome of a complex interplay between our thinking styles and the way information is ‘framed’ or presented to us. The... Read more
28
Sep
2020
While everyone’s individual experience of this global pandemic has been different, there are many shared experiences that we hope readers will be familiar with. In short, the adaptations we have made as a society have changed the way we live and work. Might these new behaviours give a clue as to what industries and companies... Read more
18
Sep
2020
The last six months have been profoundly transformational, with the COVID-19 shock acting as an accelerant for the digitisation of the economy. This radical transition is especially advantageous for asset-light business models in the tech, health care and communications sectors. This article, from GSFM’s investment partner Epoch Investment Partners, outlines its firm conviction that “data... Read more
01
Sep
2020
A slightly controversial chart Last month, we published a paper of the 10 most interesting charts right now. One chart, which suggested the Federal Reserve does not influence long-term stock market returns, garnered the most attention. The chart (and our observation) runs at odds with much of the mainstream financial commentary that suggests central... Read more
24
Aug
2020
Summary Over the past three years Australian house prices have mostly moved sideways, rising or falling by around 10% per year. When prices started falling in 2018, we saw little reason to be concerned as housing affordability remained strong, unemployment was low and interest rates had room to fall. This setup the conditions for the... Read more
19
Aug
2020
FASEA’s Code of Ethics seeks to impose ethical duties that go above the requirements of the law. It’s designed to encourage and embed higher standards of behaviour and professionalism in the financial advice industry[1]. However, while laws may be clear, anything open to subjective interpretation can be prone to ‘grey areas’ – not everything is... Read more
18
Aug
2020
Edmund Halley (1656 – 1742) was a remarkably talented man of science, who made important contributions to mathematics, physics, and of course, astronomy. A peer of Sir Isaac Newton (apple, gravity etc), Halley’s most public legacy is the comet named in his honour after he correctly predicted the frequency of its appearance (roughly every 75... Read more
17
Aug
2020
Life, looking good in the ‘lucky country’? As the self-proclaimed ‘lucky country’, Australia’s impressive achievements across sport, science, and cultural pursuits, are often out of proportion to our modest size. Happily, another area where we ‘punch above our weight’ is in life expectancy, where Australia ranks amongst the best in the world. Since the very... Read more
03
Aug
2020
Introduction Competitive forces within the Australian life insurance market have long underpinned a strong culture of innovation amongst insurers. Recognising an imperative to improve the way customers and financial advisers access – and engage with – life insurance, the last decade has seen extensive insurer investment across areas such as process automation, data analytics, and... Read more
21
Jul
2020
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