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19 April 2025
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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.
With the RBA having lifted interest rates by 4.25% over 18 months, many investors now see cash as an attractive investment option. That ignores the silent tax of inflation, which makes other assets better investment alternatives.
Australian banks are the Pilbara of the global financial system, with irreplaceable assets that are among the world's best. Current bank hybrid prices offer favourable rewards with limited risk for investors.
As the global economy slows, private debt can be an attractive option for income investors. It provides reduced capital volatility and reliable income, as well as risk-adjusted returns that are linked to inflation.
Major bank transaction accounts are paying poor rates on cash at exactly the time when many SMSF trustees are holding more cash than usual due to tough bond and equity markets. Here are some rules and opportunities.
Banks are awash with cash and are turning away deposits while reducing rates. Retirees who rely on their savings for income should not expect a respite until at best 2024 and are encouraged to turn to risky assets.
Australian bank liquidity regulations are continuing to tighten, adversely affecting access to cash and the ability of SMSFs to earn the same returns from bank deposits as individuals.
The government guarantee on deposits has finally been legislated and based on information released by APRA you'd be forgiven for assuming that superannuation bank deposits would be covered. Not necessarily.
The nation's savings are in superannuation and the nation's funding needs are in the banks. Yet the regulators and the new liquidity rules make it even more difficult for the two to get together, with another free kick to SMSFs.
* APRA has told deposit-takers they must implement a Single Customer View regime before 1 January 2014, to prevent multiple coverage under the government guarantee.
* Better and cheaper availability of wholesale funding for major banks will reduce retail term deposits rates, as CBA takes its foot off the gas.
The sad fact is the government guarantee on deposits does not apply for individuals investing in deposits offered by public superannuation funds.
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.
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?