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31 January 2025
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With domestic equities markets affected by macroeconomic volatility in 2022, Australian Ethical discusses the headwinds faced by investors and some of the opportunities this environment creates for 2023.
Australian Ethical’s Head of Asset Allocation takes a look back at the major forces influencing markets in 2022, the impact of inflation on retirement incomes and shares his long-term views for asset classes.
Much economic success is based on private goods, where the benefit derives to the owner. The challenge for economics is with public goods, and our current Year 12 students are learning to address market failures.
There are significant differences in the sector weightings of an ethical fund versus an index, and while this has caused some short-term headwinds recently, the tailwinds are expected to blow over the long term.
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.
All fund managers now claim to take ESG factors into account, but a multi-asset ethical fund will look quite different from a mainstream fund. Faced with low fixed income returns, alternatives have a bigger role.
Although Australian investors are among the most ESG-aware in the world, with the vast majority wanting responsible and ethical investments, there are still some misconceptions to dispel.
It's now well established that ethical and sustainable investing enhances returns, but as fund managers jump aboard, what is required to build principles firmly into all portfolios?
The strictness of screening processes can vary between ethical ETFs, and many rely on indices without additional oversight. This can result in stock inclusions that may not pass the ethical ‘smell test’.
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.
2024 was a banner year for equities, with a run-up in US tech stocks broadening into a global market rally, and the big question now is whether the good times can continue? History suggests optimism is warranted.
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.
Getting regular, growing income from stocks is tougher with the dividend yield on the ASX nearing 25-year lows. Here are some conventional and not-so-conventional ideas for investors wanting to build a dividend portfolio.