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20 April 2025
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In this interview, Schroders' Helen Mason discusses investing in corporate and financial credit securities, market impacts of tariffs, opportunities for cash investments, and views on tier two and hybrid bonds.
The Australian sharemarket seems to be rewarding a number of unprofitable companies on the promise of future riches. Yet profits and cashflows still matter, as a recent case study of Domino's Pizza shows.
In 2024, markets were buoyed by decent economic growth and US rate cuts, even as valuations became stretched. This year, more resilient portfolios may be needed to tackle risks from higher bond yields and market concentration.
The outlook for equities in 2025 has been dominated by one question: will the US market's supremacy continue? Whichever side of the debate you sit on, you should challenge yourself by considering the alternative.
In a recent webinar, Schroders' Head of Research in Australian equities discussed BHP’s expensive bid for Anglo and a recent commodity collapse that was typical in its nature yet unprecedented in size.
Asset pricing remains buoyant and equity markets continue to chase financial assets over real ones. As the gap between ‘growth’ stocks and the rest widens further, investors need to decide which side to jump.
As investors cram into ever narrower areas of the market with increasingly high valuations, Martin Conlon from Schroders says that sensible investing has rarely been such an uncrowded trade.
Bonds have had a dreadful few years and their positive correlation to equities of late means they may not be the diversifier in portfolios that they once were. What are the alternatives to bonds, and where might there be value?
Peter Drucker’s axiom “culture eats strategy for breakfast” continues to ring true. If culture is the sophisticated word for execution, Boral has been a standout over the past 12 months, while Fletcher Building has lagged.
Decarbonisation will be a driving theme for markets for decades to come, and estimates of its costs are still far too low. It will benefit mining companies as demand will be structurally higher going forwards.
Charter Hall's Steven Bennett talks through commercial property's challenges and opportunities, Schroders' Rainer Ender on private equity's bright spots, and Peter Warnes on how RBA hawkishness will impact rates and the economy.
The number one aim of investing is to generate an after-tax return above inflation. All major asset classes failed to do that in 2022, though it's more mixed this year, so where does the best value lie for the future?
At a recent webinar, the Schroders team outlined their views on stocks after earnings season including BHP, Rio Tinto, the banks, and healthcare companies. The team is known for its contrarian views and it didn't disappoint.
Young people hold the majority of home loans while older people have the vast majority of deposits. It's not hard to see why rising interest rates are hurting the young and resulting in increased intergenerational tension.
A global financial casino has been created where investors ignore realistic valuations in the low growth, high-risk environment. At some point, analysis of fundamental value will be rewarded.
There have been 11 occasions in the 148 years between 1871 and 2019 when US stocks destroyed at least 25% of value for investors. What has been the best strategy to recover the losses?
Inefficiencies in the small caps index means outperformance is common but that should not cost 60% more in fees than large caps. Large caps have outperformed small caps over the long term but with significant variability.
The rapid rise in investments into passive vehicles is having a distortive effect on markets as the flows are prone to sudden reversals. The cheap cost may come with a paradoxical result.
Chasing higher market returns inevitably comes with higher risk, but is there a portfolio 'sweet spot' that accepts some risk in exchange for better performance, while keeping fees under control?
Meeting real return objectives in a low growth environment is a challenge. Investors will need to use cyclical volatility to their advantage by riding the upside and, importantly, avoiding the falls.
The 'lower for longer' mantra has become common, but investors can assess current market conditions to achieve decent returns after inflation, without taking on extreme levels of risk.
The market rewards companies it thinks allocate capital well and similarly punishes those who don’t. It tries to anticipate the future and thus the changes in future returns on capital before they happen.
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.
With fixed term deposit rates declining and bank hybrids being phased out, what are the best options for investors seeking income? This goes through the choices, and the opportunities and risks involved.
The S&P 500's recent correction raises concerns about a bear market. History shows corrections are driven by high rates, unemployment, or global shocks, and that there's reason for optimism for nervous investors today.
The famed investor says the rapid switch from globalisation to trade wars is the biggest upheaval in the investing environment since World War Two. And a new world requires a different investment approach.
Trump's tariffs and China's retaliatory strike have sent the Nasdaq into a bear market with the S&P 500 not far behind. What are the implications for the economy and markets, and what should investors do now?