The rhythm of life is no different to the rhythm of economic and corporate cycles. The optimism of birth, the excitement of growing up, the cynicism arising from the compromises that come with maturity, the tumult of unfair turns and the joys of victory, all in turn impacting upon performance.... Show More
Although much of the focus remains on the February market activity, a tipping point between unemployment and inflation in the US approaches and so inflation remains a key risk. February revealed the first cracks in the relative market stability of the last year, as higher inflation fears both drove bond... Show More
A2 Milk has posted great results with an almost 50% increase in revenue, but it strengthens the perspective that many valuations of businesses remain disconnected from whatever levels of cashflow are evident. It’s as if a bunch of birds in the bush are better than one in the hand. Show More
Bond markets recently slapped equity investors in the face with a 50-basis point reminder of who is really in charge here. As the famous quote from James Carville goes: “I used to think that if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or... Show More
In the context of the Sir John Templeton quote “… Bull markets are born on pessimism, grow on scepticism, mature on optimism and die of euphoria …” we are clearly still in the optimistic phase. Show More
It is a continuing curiosity of investing that people can be so obsessed with trying to predict the future yet at the same time find it so difficult to think beyond the present. Show More
There are lots of reasons why investors get excited about small cap stocks, particularly in Australia: the significantly larger opportunity set outside of the top 100 companies, the higher growth rates that small companies can achieve, and the myriad of successful individual stock stories that abound. Global academic research has... Show More
Another year (almost) over, and assets have again been on a tear. All ASX sectors have performed well this year, with most generating double digit returns, consistent with global experience. The other global norm is the notable sectoral exception to this great performance; Telecommunications has been the laggard, underperforming by... Show More
Currently, the market’s ‘story’ for the global banks is not a positive one. Increasing regulation, the threat of fines and lawsuits, and a general investor-apathy have conspired to make banks an unpopular investment. Nick Kirrage, Portfolio Manager at the Schroder Global Recovery Fund, says it’s this negative story that’s created... Show More
The concept of ‘herding’ is a powerful lesson that investors should not ignore. Herding is the bias that can lead investors to follow the crowd, whether they genuinely agree with what they are doing, or are just scared of being left standing alone. Show More