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14 March 2025
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Trees are an appropriate metaphor for investing. When nurtured, they grow gradually but inexorably. Upon maturity they yield their bounty—shade, nuts and sweet fruit.Yet some trees withstand adversity better than others. Resilience requires flexibility, and in heavy winds, the willow’s ability to bend is superior to the oak’s girth. We expect markets to experience many storms in 2024. Portfolios that bend but don’t break are best suited to provide the resiliency for what lies ahead.
Global Investment Outlook allows the Franklin Templeton Institute strategists to highlight manager’s views on markets across the firm. Our mission is to provide our clients with research that meets their needs and concerns. We do this by listening, understanding, and then harnessing the resources of our firm to answer the challenge. We organize around areas of exploration to develop distinct insights and their practical applications. Two related Franklin Templeton Thinks publications of note are Allocation Views, produced by Franklin Templeton Investment Solutions, which offers you our best thinking on multi-asset portfolio construction; and, Macro Perspectives, produced by the Institute, featuring economists from across the firm dissecting key macroeconomic themes driving markets.
Download the full paper
This time last year, I highlighted 16 ASX stocks that investors could own indefinitely. One year on, I look at whether there should be any changes to the list of stocks as well as which companies are worth buying now.
The CIO of Australia’s fourth largest super fund by assets, John Pearce, suggests the odds favour a flat year for markets, with the possibility of a correction of 10% or more. However, he’ll use any dip as a buying opportunity.
With the arrival of the new year, the first members of ‘Generation X’ turned 60, marking the start of the MTV generation’s collective journey towards retirement. Are Gen Xers and our retirement system ready for the transition?
The capital gains tax main residence exemption is no longer 'fit for purpose', due to its inequities, inefficiency, and complexity. Here are several suggestions for adapting or curtailing the concession.
The ABS recently released figures which are used to determine key superannuation rates and thresholds that will apply from 1 July 2025. This outlines the rates and thresholds that are changing and those that aren’t.
A Grattan Institute report suggests lifetime annuities as a solution to people not spending their super balances. The issue is whether underspending is the real problem or a sign of more fundamental failings in our retirement system.
The intergenerational wealth transfer, largely driven by a housing boom, exacerbates economic inequality, stifles productivity, and impedes social mobility. Solutions lie in addressing the housing problem, not taxing wealth.
With an election due by 17 May, we are effectively in campaign mode with the Government announcing numerous spending promises since January and the Coalition often matching them. Here's what the election means for investors.
Your chances of having a comfortable retirement are not only dictated by your super fund's investment returns. Investors must also consider the risks of longevity, inflation, and not sticking to the plan.
The global economy faces renewed protectionism with President Trump's tariffs sparking retaliatory actions and causing market volatility. Historically, quality companies have shown resilience amid trade tensions and uncertainty.
Major equity indices will need to defy history if they are to deliver anything like the returns of recent years. In a rapidly changing environment, investors may need to look further afield for the next winners.
Most superannuation products offered to working-age Australians are now performance-tested, and there are calls to extend these tests to account-based pensions. It's likely to result in more pain than gain, though.
The more aggressively you try to compress your timeline and chase that one massive windfall, the more likely you are to stumble. Here's a better approach, using examples from The Battle of Britain, tennis, and Charlie Munger.