CPD: Layered uncertainty – conflict, credit stress, and AI

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Resilient global headline growth has continued masking widening divergence across countries, industries, and households, as AI-fueled investment and wealth have offset tariff-related pressures. What has changed is the addition of... Read more continue reading

CPD: AI will (eventually) turbocharge productivity and profits

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Ever since ChatGPT’s public release in late-2022, the world has been overwhelmed by headlines about AI’s astonishing progress, with improved models and breathtaking capabilities. Top executives have described AI as... Read more continue reading

Hidden GEMs: Emerging market private credit stands appear as cracks appear in US private credit

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Private credit has grown into a roughly US$3 trillion global asset class since the Global Financial Crisis – but it’s now facing its first serious test. In the US, high-profile... Read more continue reading

CPD: Debunking lifetime annuities – why advisers have historically stayed clear – and why that’s changing

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For many financial advisers, lifetime annuities have long sat in the “too hard” basket. They’re often thought of as outdated products: with rigid structures, poor value for money and require... Read more continue reading

Is an increase in oil prices inflationary or disinflationary?

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The sharp increase in the price of oil in the wake of the Iran conflict has ushered in a plethora of central bank warnings around the inflationary consequences of such... Read more continue reading

Macroscope: Is the Iran crisis an early 2020 moment for markets?

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War in the Middle East and the disruption of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz has potentially introduced a stagflationary shock at a time when markets were positioned for... Read more continue reading

Franklin Templeton stays moderately positive for 2026, US GDP growth expected at 2.5%

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In a recent economic update, Chris Galipeau, Senior Market Strategist at the Franklin Templeton Institute says that the outlook for 2026 is moderately positive, with GDP growth in the US... Read more continue reading

A passive market reshaping liquidity, volatility and returns

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Australia’s equity market is becoming harder to trade in size, even when headline liquidity metrics look benign. Rising passive ownership and a shrinking actively traded free float are weakening price... Read more continue reading

It’s not just Iran

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The war in Iran continues to be the most visible factor driving global equity market returns. For example, the MSCI equity index for oil exporter Norway has gained over 6%... Read more continue reading

Record adoption of managed accounts as Australian advisers seek relief from operational pressures

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Managed accounts have overtaken other investment vehicles to become the preferred core portfolio solution for Australian financial advisers, according to the newly released 17th State Street/Investment Trends Managed Accounts Report.... Read more continue reading