Market Insights

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Market Forum provides an overview of the main drivers and issues behind market and business trends.

As a conduit between institutions and the advisor community we are well positioned to give you access to the latest ideas and information. You will find links to specific market and business insights. 

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  • Quarterly Update December 2009
    The S&P/ASX 200 closed meaningfully above of 4800 for the end of year 2009, reaching 4870 on 31 December as investors added more risk to their portfolios.  We forecast further returns of ove more (08 January 2010)
  • You can't regulate against greed
    When the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services handed down its recent report into Financial Products and Services in Australia, it was predictably lamenting how “ more (16 December 2009)
  • Quarterly Update September 2009
    Long term we remain constructive on Australian equities as the cyclical growth story continues into 2011 and 2012. We believe that any pull-back is a buying opportunity.  Markets rarely trade si more (02 October 2009)
  • The hidden cost of banning commissions
    The move to outlaw commission payments to financial planners is gathering pace. Its advocates firmly believe it will usher in a healthier financial planning industry in which advice will totally focu more (10 September 2009)
  • 5 Hot Topics Australia
    The Australian economy has held up far better than most expected despite all the dire predictions at the beginning of the year.  While most of the developed world caught the flu, Australia only  more (24 August 2009)
  • More to advice than meets the eye
    Did you read the recent story about an elderly group of wealthy German pensioners who were charged with kidnapping and torturing a financial adviser who had lost $4 million of their savings?Pensioner more (20 July 2009)
  • 5 Hot Topics Asia
    Asia continues to grow apace. There are many signs that it will recover quicker than the rest of the world from the Global Financial Crisis – and that this growth will be sustainable.For that r more (16 July 2009)
  • Comparing Structured Products - Apples with Apples
    As the end of the financial year approaches, institutions offer structured products as a way to lower tax. Attractive as that sounds, it’s simply not that easy. Often it’s an apples and p more (02 June 2009)
  • Have we hit bottom yet?
    It’s a strange thing. Everyone agrees that it is difficult to market time and there’s no point in trying to pick the bottom of the market. Yet every second conversation in the markets tod more (07 May 2009)
  • US equities: there is a silver lining
    It’s hard to find an economic pundit these days who believes 2009 will usher in any sort of economic recovery; the consensus is 2010 and some even believe it could be 2011 before there is a sus more (14 February 2009)
  • Capital protected products are under the microscope
    Like all investment classes, capital protected products are under the microscope. But for canny investors looking to the long-term they still offer value. No different to any other investment ve more (21 November 2008)
  • Orderly Unwinding of Lehman Derivatives
    This quick note is on the effect that Lehman being in Chapter 11 is having on the Structured Product market in Hong Kong. Lehman’s were far more active in Hong Kong than the Australian mar more (19 September 2008)
  • The credit squeeze – what next for Australia
    It’s safe to say that no one predicted the magnitude of the global credit crunch’s impact on markets. In less than a year, some of more venerable banking names, such UBS, Merrill Lynch, a more (25 August 2008)
  • Today’s oil trouble is changing the rules of investment
    The last global oil crisis in the 1970s had a devastating effect on the world economy, unleashing a bout of stagflation that had central banks, governments, and investment markets scratching their he more (07 July 2008)
  • Commodities Overview
    Commodities look set to continue to perform strongly, in our opinion, driven by a growing hunger for food, energy and raw materials. Strong Asian demand and constrained supply has seen increased pri more (08 April 2008)
  • Emerging Markets overview
    Like all good financial stories the appeal of emerging markets starts with the numbers. Here are some of them: over 35% of the world’s population lives in China and India alone 86% more (28 March 2008)
  • Opportunities in Gold
    As good as gold. If ever there was a time when this saying rang true it is now. The value of gold has been increasing dramatically. Favourable fundamentals point to this continuing. The major factor more (27 March 2008)
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