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Edition: 439

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Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 439 with weekend update

  • 23 December 2021
  • 4

For most investors, 2021 will deliver good performance, with the benchmark All Ords Index rising 10% and the best superannuation funds returning about 12%, and that's before we include house prices. If 2022 is worse, that is part of the deal all equity investors must accept. But there was something else weird and crazy about investing in 2021.

When I’m 64: the year traditional investing looked old

Long gone is the time when investing was only finding traditional value stocks making profits. Now there's Bitcoin, crypto, NFTs, memes, and finfluencers. Among a few winners, much of it will not end well.

Part 2: Hamish Douglass on not swinging for the fences

Markets don't seem normal, but Magellan is criticised for its caution. Higher interest rates to control inflation could create a recession and some of today's investing will turn out a mass delusion of modern history.

Chairman Powell and Omicron: the Grinches who stole Christmas?

Omicron and central bank policy changes have spoiled Christmas, especially for the value of businesses with the most profit growth far in the future. Has the pullback in parts of the global market been overdone?  

Check eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card

Eligibility for the Commonwealth Seniors Health Card has no asset test and a relatively high income test. It's worth checking eligibility and the benefits of qualifying to save on the cost of medications.

Fixed income solutions in a rising rate environment

Floating rate bonds protect investors from capital losses of long-duration fixed income as rates rise. Hybrid structures offer higher yields backed by strong banks issuing on both the ASX and in unlisted OTC markets.

Investment forecasts unreliable in unpredictable times

We use weather forecasts to inform our planning but they do not entirely drive decision making. The same should happen with investment outlooks. A globally diversified portfolio will serve best in unpredictable times.

REIT sectors are different, faced with fundamentals and inflation

REITs come in many forms and the impact of inflation varies by the type of inflation and the REIT subcategory. Some trends, such as the end of 'just in time' and greater power of labour, have a widespread impact.

Most viewed in recent weeks

Australian stocks will crush housing over the next decade, one year on

Last year, I wrote an article suggesting returns from ASX stocks would trample those from housing over the next decade. One year later, this is an update on how that forecast is going and what's changed since.

What to expect from the Australian property market in 2025

The housing market was subdued in 2024, and pessimism abounds as we start the new year. 2025 is likely to be a tale of two halves, with interest rate cuts fuelling a resurgence in buyer demand in the second half of the year.

Howard Marks warns of market froth

The renowned investor has penned his first investor letter for 2025 and it’s a ripper. He runs through what bubbles are, which ones he’s experienced, and whether today’s markets qualify as the third major bubble of this century.

The perfect portfolio for the next decade

This examines the performance of key asset classes and sub-sectors in 2024 and over longer timeframes, and the lessons that can be drawn for constructing an investment portfolio for the next decade.

9 lessons from 2024

Key lessons include expensive stocks can always get more expensive, Bitcoin is our tulip mania, follow the smart money, the young are coming with pitchforks on housing, and the importance of staying invested.

The 20 most popular articles of 2024

Check out the most-read Firstlinks articles from 2024. From '16 ASX stocks to buy and hold forever', to 'The best strategy to build income for life', and 'Where baby boomer wealth will end up', there's something for all.

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