Don't Look back in Anger... but do look at the numbers

When Oasis last played Australia in 2005, we were all humming Wonderwall on the way to work and the cost of living felt manageable. A coffee was two dollars, the median Sydney home was about $500,000, and the Reserve Bank cash rate sat above 5.0%. It was a time when the economy felt balanced and investing seemed straightforward.

Two decades later, as the band returns to the stage, the story is very different. What cost $100 back then now costs about $168. Everyday life has become more expensive, and housing has turned into a Champagne Supernova for many Australians: dazzling to watch but harder to reach. The national median home price in capital cities is over $1.0 million, and in Sydney it has passed $1.75 million and could reach $2.0 million by the end of 2026. Incomes have not kept pace, meaning home ownership now feels more like The Masterplan than a given.

The investment story since the last Oasis tour has been just as revealing. Australian shares have returned about 8% per year, global shares over 9%, and US shares more than 11.5%. Cash and bonds have struggled to beat inflation, while listed property has managed roughly 4.5% annually. Inflation itself averaged 2.8%. The simple truth is that growth assets have been the only reliable defence against the slow erosion of purchasing power. Sitting in cash has been a Fade Away approach.

For Australian investors, these numbers tell a story about time, patience and compounding. The investors who stayed diversified and focused on the long term have been the ones who finished the concert still singing. Every market cycle brings its own Glory moments and its inevitable downturns, but the discipline to stay invested has delivered lasting wealth.

As Oasis return to Australian stages, the music offers a reminder about perspective. Time changes everything: prices, politics, returns and expectations. We cannot roll back to 2005, but investors can make sure they Don't Look Back in Anger at the opportunities they missed. 

What's the Story? Diversify and stay invested.