Reading time: 4 minutes The surprise Federal election result has been positive for hybrids, and good value appears to remain in this sector.  The market’s overreaction to franking credit fears, moreover, highlights the benefits of active management in this complex area. Fading overreaction to the Labor Party Policy When Labor initially announced their proposal to

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Reading time: 4 minutes The surprise Federal election victory by the Liberal-National Party (LNP) Coalition has upended many previously held beliefs and fears concerning Australia’s investment markets.  This note outlines three key implications for investors along with some associated investment ideas for those who wish to conduct a post-election review of their portfolio. ScoMo’s Return:

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Reading time: 4 minutes The proposed removal of franking credit rebates that is part of the ALP’s election policy has been an ongoing point of discussion over the last 12 months. Irrespective of debate around the upcoming election or the form any rule changes may ultimately take, a central issue for many investors is how

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Reading time: 7 minutes Volatility returned to investment markets over the past year as growth accelerated and central banks, especially the US Federal Reserve (Fed), started to remove excess liquidity by raising interest rates and reversing quantitative easing.  As a defensive, income focused equity strategy, the BetaShares Legg Mason Real Income Fund (managed fund) (RINC)

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Reading time: 6 minutes With interest rates around the world in low single digits, investors have been forced to seek stocks paying a decent dividend yield to satisfy their income requirements. In Australia, investors have turned to high dividend payers such as the big four banks (a tough call given the headwinds from the Royal

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Reading time: 4 minutes Hybrid securities last year again demonstrated their ability to hold up well in the face of equity market volatility. Hybrids: impressive risk-adjusted returns The Investment Manager of our Active Hybrids Fund (ASX: HBRD) recently wrote a post discussing the strong performance of the hybrids market last year.  Indeed, the index of

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Reading time: 4 minutes Beginning in early 2009, the current global equity bull market has been one of the longest on record. While no-one can pick the exact top in the market, a growing number of analysts concede the bull phase is at a mature stage and downside risks are accumulating. Bear markets, when they

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Reading time: 3 minutes History suggests that so-called “quality” companies, i.e. those with a high return on equity (or “ROE”), tend to be able to produce market-beating shareholder returns over time.  As this note details, moreover, quality companies have tended to especially outperform in “late-cycle” market periods, as investors have tended to gravitate toward companies

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Reading time: 3 min Currency, for most investors, has always been a topic that causes consternation. While many investors recognise the diversification value that international investments can bring, the fact that, by definition, such investments bring with them currency considerations adds an additional element to the decision. There is no doubt that managing the currency

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This blog was updated in February 2019. With the longest bull market run in history maturing, it may be time to start thinking about strategies and solutions that offer protection from volatility and falling markets. A number of commentators and investment market analysts now believe that after significant market rises in 2017 and a mixed

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