Jeremy Grantham, Co-Founder and Chief Investment Strategist at US-based $75 billion fund, GMO, has some form in calling out bubbles. So it was notable that their asset allocation team argued in a recent note that the US market could be a bubble that is now in the early stages of... Show More
Investors have likely heard asset allocation specialists advise increasing portfolio exposure to 'alternatives' given the current market conditions. Invesco's Alternatives Investment Strategist, Walter Davis, explores this asset class and suggests 5 alternatives to consider right now. Show More
What trends will matter for asset allocation in 2019? Our Multi-Asset Solutions team share three factors that have influenced their shorter-term and longer-term asset allocation decisions over the past year – and why they remain relevant for investors in markets ahead. Show More
With the housing market continuing to make news, we examine nationwide house prices relative to changes in income, lending rates and a measure called ‘hypothetical borrowing power’, to assess how they compare to 'fair value'. Show More
In a panel discussion at Livewire Live in 2016, which you can see here, I described my worst fear at that moment: the danger of a trade war. In this wire, I revisit my thesis and ask what it means for investors. Show More
Almost universally weak performance of fund managers over the last two months has left many advisers and their investors in shocked disbelief, or hiding under their sheets unwisely hoping for a change in market conditions. It has been almost impossible for those with active manager portfolios to avoid at least... Show More
What would you nominate as the single biggest risk to the local stock market right now? In an interview at a recent event held by IRESS and Livewire, we asked Brad Matthews, who consults to Advisors and Managers on asset allocation, for his view. Show More
The recent equity market rally in response to dovish FED language again highlights how dependent equity markets are on government stimulus and sugar hits. Show More
As a provider of asset allocation advice to fund managers and advisors, Brad Matthews provides an expert view of the big picture for each asset class. Weeks before 'Red October', Brad gave Livewire readers an explicit early warning in his wire offering ‘Three reasons to lighten your equity exposure'. Show More
There is (arguably of course) a bubble in nearly every mainstream asset class. A bubble in debt markets, a bubble in property, a bubble in equity, a bubble in private assets, and a bubble in the way portfolios are managed. This is an artificially created result of easy monetary and... Show More
Yes, your investment portfolio is quite realistically stuffed. At least in terms of being best aligned with what you need or want. At the very least, the investment portfolio you’re in is almost certainly less ideal than it could be, if not imprudent for the world we live in. Show More
Some of the worst monthly market returns in history have occurred in the month of October, and I’m sure it will come as no surprise to you to learn that this year’s was one of them. The ASX200 fell -6.1% in October, its worst monthly performance in almost four years.... Show More
The current Fed rate hikes, combined with efforts to shrink its balance sheet, represent the first sustained tightening in US monetary conditions, and therefore much of the developed world, for at least 30 years. So what does this mean for investors and how should they change their investment strategy to... Show More
Sometimes it seems like there’s nowhere to hide. Equity investors were smacked in the face over the month of October, with waves of selling hitting sharemarkets from Sydney to Shanghai and London to New York. Something like $7 trillion was wiped off the value of global sharemarkets. Tighter financial conditions,... Show More
October’s share market plunge confirms the view that traditional investment methodologies have their limitations and can be a very unsettling way to protect and grow your wealth. Here we argue that the long-established “endowment model approach” should be embraced for those in charge of their own destiny. Show More
A rising tide lifts all boats, and the ten-year bull market has made it more important to be in the boat than to be sailing it well. Simon Doyle at Schroders cautions that while Asset Allocation hasn’t mattered in recent years… it will be critical now that the tide is... Show More
We sat down with Simon Doyle, Head of Fixed Income & Multi-Asset at Schroders, and asked him how he would allocate a million dollars today. In his responses to this tough question he made it clear that it’s not a good time to be building a big position in equities. Show More
With challenges for equity markets rising, even a defensively positioned balance fund, with just 45-50% equity exposure could struggle to deliver positive returns, warns Simon Doyle, Head of Fixed Income & Multi-Asset at Schroders, who emphasises that true flexibility in asset allocation will be critical ahead. Show More
In this note, we look at what the Bogle Model currently forecasts for average equity returns in the US and Australia over the next decade. Show More
After what has been a very long run of strong market returns, it is only natural that investors’ attention starts to move toward when that run might end, and as each day passes, we move closer to the end of the cycle. This kind of sentiment understandably makes investors somewhat... Show More
