Opinion

The Swiss bank’s $3.5 billion issue of contingent convertible bank capital drew 10 times as many investors as it needed, showing the market has already forgotten how holders of these bonds fared in the case of the collapsed Credit Suisse.

The “financial independence, retire early” approach, which trades spartan frugality now for an early retirement later, can work in the right conditions, but its benefits may be eclipsed by the sacrifice required along the way, writes Alteris Financial Group’s Jaxon King.

Primary and secondary homes make up about a third of the total global wealth of the ultra-rich, new research shows. Commercial property and equities are also big components, with a small but increasingly valuable share going to “investments of passion”.

The unique benefits of a gold allocation are clear, but investors, particularly retirement savers, are missing out on much of the market according to World Gold Council market strategist Joe Cavatoni, who says the metal’s dual role as a consumer good and an investment asset is key to its bright outlook.

Shock events like the Israel-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts are not a reason for investors to panic sell, as history tells us geopolitical risk, which is always present and therefore factored in by markets, has little correlation with long-term economic upheavals.

Higher bond yields are making fixed income fundamentally more attractive than it was during years of ultra-low interest rates. AMP’s Diana Mousina and Chris Baker recently discussed the opportunity set as investors look to add income and defensiveness in a new paradigm.

Repeating his warning that markets are undergoing a “sea change” that will see a new set of winners and losers emerge in short order, the famed distressed-debt investor said it’s time to consider a profound shift from asset ownership to lending and credit.

Australian retail investors are trading less since the height of the pandemic, as uncertainty over the direction of markets prompts them to accumulate cash. But while even the pros may be tended to blink, the overwhelmingly buy-and-hold retail cohort is proving its savvy, says nabtrade’s Gemma Dale.

The rise of AI is part of a global knowledge revolution that is reshaping every aspect of our lives, according to AI thought leaders at the Australian Investor Association’s recent investX conference. While it’s new territory, the same investment principles should apply in picking the winners from the losers.

With Australia facing difficult conditions as the impacts of rising interest rates continue flowing through the economy, credit remains one of the most reliable and attractive ways to add defensiveness to a portfolio, strategists from SQM Research and ICG told a recent Inside Network symposium.

With Alan Joyce’s departure, it’s now up to incoming CEO Vanessa Hudson to restore the airline’s battered reputation after a series of high-profile trust breaches. But getting the Flying Kangaroo back on top will take some intestinal fortitude from the board.

With global growth expectations already under pressure, drought-fuelled disruption to the Panama Canal shipping route is bringing supply-chain slowdowns back to the fore, just in time to do maximal economic damage.