Woolworths’ interim result last month disappointed and the shares fell briefly before rebounding to where they were before the result: around $30. Does this mean there is nothing to worry about after all and the stock is a buy? Show More
retail
McDonalds’ McRib is a barbecue-flavoured, pork-based sandwich that was first introduced to customers in the 1980s and is made available for only a very brief period each year. For fast-food fans, the tangy but elusive sandwich has a cult like status and has spawned many dedicated McRib locator websites, just... Show More
Australian bond yields declined rapidly over the December quarter, anticipating a major slowdown in the Australian and global economy. Real estate has a correlation to bonds, a function of the leases it has in place with its tenants and generally performs well in weak equity markets. Show More
Everyone shops on the Internet these days, don’t they? That’s why Armageddon looms for retailers and therefore investors in retail property. If you’re looking for a reason why the share price of Retail AREITs in the ASX 300 are down 2.3% over the last two years, there’s your answer. Show More
Around 12 months ago, I shared my 10 predictions for FY18. These included a peak for the housing market, struggling retail stocks, and global macroeconomic strength. It was great to see that a lot of these predictions proved true. With FY18 now over, Livewire have asked for my predictions for... Show More
Monopoly is the ultimate real estate game, but it also has some important lessons for real life property investors. In Monopoly, there are three things that determine which squares are the best to own: 1) The likelihood of players landing on them, 2) The ‘price to earnings’ ratio i.e. how... Show More
In December last year, Unibail-Rodamco (a major European listed property trust) made an offer to purchase Westfield Corporation. The offer to Westfield shareholders is based on a combination of cash and Unibail shares and Australian investors will be able to invest in the merged entity in the form of units... Show More
Westfield investors have a big decision to make. Should they approve or reject one of the biggest corporate transactions the Australian Real Estate Investment Trust (AREIT) market has ever seen? Show More
‘Experiential retailing’ means different things to different people. Traditional retailers view it as the solution to the online threat. Shoppers see it as improving the face of shopping centres, offsetting the decline of department stores with innovative new speciality outlets and entertainment options. As for commercial property investors, well, we’ll... Show More
We recently returned from ten days visiting more than 20 companies in Japan. Two things struck us: the vast increase in the number of tourists, and how cheap it seemed compared to Australia. The last was born out by the fact that persistent low inflation means that Tokyo is no... Show More
JD.com (JD) is often referred to as China’s Amazon. However, JD is online retail shopping with a difference. Firstly, buying behaviour and the online shopping experience in China is quite different to Australia and the United States. Online shoppers in Australia typically buy discretionary items such as books, shoes and... Show More
What do Amazon, Buffett and Sydney CBD retail have in common? You know about Amazon and its potential to destroy retailers. While Amazon’s Australian launch last December was somewhat underwhelming, one could consider it a ‘soft’ launch. Whether it’s next year or next decade, odds are Amazon will get its... Show More
The Commonwealth Bank Business Sales Indicator (BSI) rose by 0.6% in trend terms in November after a 0.5% increase in October and 0.4% growth in September. Show More
Type relentless.com into a browser and where will you end up? At amazon.com. When Jeff Bezos established Amazon as an online bookseller in 1995 he toyed with calling his venture to dominate retail ‘Relentless’. Show More
On Tuesday, Unibail-Rodamco (AEX:ULA) announced it had entered into an agreement to acquire all of the outstanding shares in Westfield Corporation (ASX:WFD). This is Australia’s biggest ever acquisition, worth $32bn, and has naturally received widespread commentary. Show More
The launch of Amazon.com in Australia continues to occupy the attention of investors, and for good reason. Valuations for multiple stocks will continue to be adjusted as the market works through the longer term implications from entry of the online retailing behemoth. Show More
At today’s WAM Funds presentation, Chief Investment Officer, Chris Stott, shared some of the key themes and holdings from their current portfolio. He covers their views on the Australian economy, mining services, and retail. He also discusses a company that hadn’t received a visit from an analyst in two years. Show More
Two years ago, retail stocks were performing well, while mining services companies were just about on life support. At the time, switching from one to the other looked like madness. However, investors that did were well rewarded. For example, JB Hi-Fi is off by 27% since its mid-2016 high, while... Show More
Whether it is companies that have experienced share price declines due to regulatory uncertainty, or industries that are generally out of favour, our best returns have historically come from recognising opportunities where others have decided that the issues are simply “too hard”. One sector that currently ticks all the (wrong)... Show More
Retail trade fell 0.6 per cent in August after a downwardly-revised fall of 0.2 per cent in July. Sales had averaged gains of 0.4 per cent a month in the previous four months. Annual sales growth fell from 3.5 per cent to 3.1 per cent. Show More