The debate on active versus passive has gone on for years, with many investors loyal to one camp of the other. But… Why not use both? Christian Obrist, Head of iShares in Australia echoed these sentiments when we asked about the biggest trends in ETFs today. Show More
Given recent market volatility, Christian Obrist, Head of iShares for Australia recently told Livewire, “ETFs have already been battle-tested. If you look at the last 10 years, you've had many market stresses, and ETFs have most often come out proving that they function quite well”. Following the removal of W-8BEN... Show More
Close to US$250 billion has poured into Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) so far this year, and this flow continues unabated. However, prominent active managers such as Howard Marks have questioned who the buyer would be when the market turns. We sat down with Christian Obrist, Head of iShares for Australia... Show More
The growth of Exchange Traded Funds has seen the value of funds under management pass US$5 trillion on a global basis, and A$40 billion within Australia. We spoke with Christian Obrist, Head of iShares in Australia, to ask what the key drivers behind this inexorable growth are. Show More
iShares has made important changes to its range of international ETFs to help you build better portfolios. iShares has changed the way fourteen (14) of its international index iShares ETFs are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The benefits to investors include less ongoing administration by removing the need... Show More
While it offers a good way to diversify your portfolio, the yield on cash is a shadow of its former self. However, it’s time to rethink this and take a fresh look at how recent innovations can achieve a more meaningful yield, without compromising liquidity or transparency. To find out... Show More
iShares is making important changes to its range of international ETFs to help you build better portfolios - subject to investor approval. Beginning June 2018, iShares is changing the way fourteen (14) of its international index iShares ETFs are listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX). The benefits to investors... Show More
Tom Piotrowski speaks with BlackRock Concentrated Industrial Share Fund Portfolio Manager, Charles Lanchester about the Fund’s performance, its investment process and growth opportunities in Australian equities To view more Executive Series interviews, visit: https://www.commsec.com.au/market-news/executive-series.html Show More
BlackRock funds manager Evy Hambro accused mineral explorers of widespread dishonesty at this year’s Mines and Money conference in London. Strangely, no-one seemed to care. Hambro was just one of the many money managers lamenting mining industry shortcomings at the conference last week but none voiced a more deep-seated criticism.... Show More
Rick Rieder Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer of Fundamental Fixed Income, Blackrock “Changing consumption habits are limiting the usefulness of traditional economic metrics”. The chart below supports the statement. Show More
Rick Rieder, BlackRock CIO of Fundamental Fixed Income, explains why he believes the US recovery is actually stronger than headline data would have you believe. “Many market observers lately have been making some pretty pessimistic evaluations of the U.S. economy, declaring that it’s stagnating and soft. Given this pessimism, which... Show More
“BlackRock is an extremely dangerous company,” said Icahn when he went toe to toe with BlackRock’s Laurence Fink at CNBC’s Delivering Alpha conference in New York. Show More
Russ Koesterich, the Chief Investment Strategist at Blackrock says “the reason we’re not seeing a more convincing recovery lies largely with the consumer. While firmer wages and lower gasoline suggest that the consumer has the ability to spend, what consumers lack is the propensity to spend. Instead of spending, more... Show More
BlackRock chief investment strategist on two catalysts for a correction. What investors may want to consider is that even with all the good news, there's a lot of complacency in the market. It's hard to predict the timing, but we know that with volatility this low, there's not a lot... Show More
Fortune Magazine has published an interesting read on Larry Fink and the history of BlackRock. BlackRock is now the world's largest manager of asset with $4.3 trillion under management. In 2013 Fortune published a list of the world's 50 Most Admired Companies, five among them were 25 years old or... Show More
JP Morgan: High Yield Bond markets are a major concern. Investors have piled more than $900BN into taxable bond funds since the start of the GFC back in '08. This flood of money has helped prices surge and yields to fall. However JP Morgan and Blackrock are now warning that... Show More
Evy Hambro, MD of Natural Resources at BlackRock, says asset sales and cuts to capital expenditure mark a return to sensible management in the resources sector. He says the process we are now seeing is where assets that can't be sold get spun off or demerged. It's a natural part... Show More
BlackRock CEO, Larry Fink, told the UK to copy Australian Superannuation: Speaking at the National Association of Pension Funds Investment Conference in Edinburgh yesterday, Larry Fink said a compulsory pension saving programme, similar to the Australian superannuation scheme, would help solve the UK's pension's crisis. Superannuation, introduced in 1992, is... Show More
Blackrock's Russ Koesterich believes low volatility in the markets is reflective of investor complacency. Year-to-date, market volatility is around 14, compared to historical average of around 19. More recently the VIX Index has dropped as low as 12, approaching the multi-year lows seen in March and August. Koesterich believes that... Show More
Blackrock likes EM stocks over next 3-5 years. Stocks in the U.S. have sky rocketed during 2013, leaving many investors wondering, when is it time to sell and where should I invest the cash? Chief Investment Strategist at Blackrock, Russ Koesterich, reminds investors that despite the recent run on Emerging Market... Show More