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22 January 2025
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ESG investing has come under criticism for performance and so-called greenwashing. Is the criticism overblown, and if so, what potential benefits can it deliver to investors' portfolios in the long term?
The rise of passive investing is unlikely to derail the value of quantitative strategies. Passive investing hasn’t eradicated the irrationality of crowds, leaving pockets of opportunity to outperform indices.
A fund manager argues it is immoral to deny poor countries access to relatively cheap energy from fossil fuels. Wealthy countries must recognise the transition is a multi-decade challenge and continue to invest.
Amid the war in Ukraine, the investment industry is debating whether the EU should recognise the defence industry as a positive contribution to social sustainability. Does maintaining peace outweigh the social harm?
A topic that was once considered niche is now an enduring component of the investment decision-making process. Here we cover the fundamental investment approaches and strategies that consider ESG matters.
Clients are demanding inclusion of ESG analysis into portfolios to enhance corporate transparency and protect the environment. The availability of ESG data is meeting these needs while not comprising returns.
Australian Ethical explains its first move into active ETFs, Murray's best investments and one he'd prefer to forget, a stock he will hold for 10 years, and why they hold supermarkets that sell tobacco and alcohol.
At a 2022 Outlook event, the influential BlackRock (largest fund manager in the world) CEO spoke about consumer behaviour and its impact on prices, the pandemic, ESG trends and likely equity returns for 2022.
We face a huge economic transformation that is not a priority for politicians. Yet a typical super portfolio emits about 28 tonnes of CO2 per annum through its equities ownership, more than the average household.
In the 11th year of a bull market, near the end of the cycle, some type of correction is likely. Underneath is solid, healthy and underpinned by strong earnings growth, but there's less room for mistakes.
Australians are generally optimistic about retiring comfortably but their confidence lags retirement savers in other countries. They are also the most unsure about future returns and withdrawal rates in retirement.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.