Reading time: 4 minutes All time monthly growth record smashed! The Australian ETF industry continued its strong growth in the early months of 2019, reaching a fresh record high and recording its largest ever monthly FuM increase The industry ended February at a record $44.8B, with market cap increasing by 5.4% (+$2.3B). The monthly growth

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Reading time: 5 minutes Major Asset Classes* – Oz equities shine Australian equities were the best performing of our seven major asset classes in February, with good gains across several sectors.  Relief that the Hayne Royal Commission report recommendations were not as bad as feared for banks helped the financial sector, while growing talk of lower local

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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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Quick read: 2 min This is the first in a new series of posts we are commencing in 2019, which we are calling “Behind the Ticker” (ticker being the name that some people use for stock code). In this ongoing series, we will delve deeper into the constituents which underlie our funds. We hope these

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Quick read – Summary: We launched the first edition of the quarterly BetaShares Global ETF Review – analysing the key trends & developments in the industry outside Australia. The global ETF industry ended 2018 at US$4.8 trillion in assets under management (AuM), posting a robust annual growth rate of 20% since 2005. In the US in 2018,  passive funds

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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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Industry starts the year on a new record high! In a month that is typically quiet for the Australian ETF industry, the industry started off the year strongly, reaching a fresh record high of $42.5B total industry FuM at month end. The industry’s total market cap increased by ~4.3% ($1.7B) – the second largest monthly

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While my “on hold” call for the RBA turned out correct last year, I now expect the RBA to cut the cash rate this year, and twice by early-2020.  This reflects a weakening in a range of economic indicators and the Reserve Bank’s own acknowledgement of more downside risks. Economic Storm Clouds Let’s start with

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Major Asset Classes – global equities storm back Global equities returned a strong 7.3% in local currency terms during January, unwinding their 7.2% slump in December.  The return in $A terms, however, was a more muted 4.5% reflecting a rebound in the Australian dollar over the month. Several factors supported the equity rebound, though the

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