Exchange-traded funds set for take-off

Original article by Glenda Korporaal
The Australian – Page: 19 : 12-Jul-18

ETF Securities founder Graham Tuckwell is upbeat about the outlook for Australia’s exchange-traded fund market, which he expects to grow significantly in the next five years. Tuckwell says Australians have been slow to embrace ETFs while financial advisers have instead favoured actively managed funds, as they receive a commission for recommending such products to clients. He adds that active fund managers often underperform the market after their fees are taken into account.

CORPORATES
ETF SECURITIES LIMITED

Burgeoning ETF industry brings active funds management to the masses

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 22-Feb-18

Exchange-traded funds are becoming increasingly popular with Australian investors. There has been strong growth in the number of listed active ETFs in particular since 2015, with 16 such funds now listed on the local sharemarket. BetaShares has launched two new active ETFs in a co-branding arrangement with Legg Mason, and BetaShares MD Alex Vynokur says this trend is likely to continue. He adds that institutional investors as well as retail investors are driving the demand for active ETFs.

CORPORATES
BETASHARES CAPITAL LIMITED, BETASHARES LEGG MASON EQUITY INCOME FUND (MANAGED FUND) – ASX EIN, BETASHARES LEGG MASON REAL INCOME FUND (MANAGED FUND) – ASX RIN, LEGG MASON ASSET MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AMP CAPITAL INVESTORS LIMITED

Bargain hunters happy to take the risks

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 30 : 9-Feb-18

Australian investors returned to the sharemarket on 8 February, seeking buying opportunities among stocks that had been heavily sold down in the recent sharemarket rout. Blue-chip stocks in particular attracted buying activity. However, investors should be mindful that financial market volatility can persist for some time, and the pace at which the US Federal Reserve tightens monetary policy will be a key factor in the outlook for equities.

CORPORATES
UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, CHICAGO BOARD OPTIONS EXCHANGE VOLATILITY INDEX, CREDIT SUISSE AG, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, UNITED STATES. DEPT OF THE TREASURY, LPL FINANCIAL LLC

Investors follow Future Fund to lift share exposure

Original article by James Kirby
The Australian – Page: 32 : 2-Feb-18

A report from Investment Trends shows that in early 2017 the average investor expected a return of just 1-5 per cent from Australian equities for the calendar year, but the ASX achieved a full-year return of 11.8 per cent. Investment Trends’ King Loong Choi says the firm’s annual survey shows that the proportion of investors whose main goal is to maximise capital growth has risen from 18 per cent to 25 per cent in 2018. Choi adds that retail investors who increase their exposure to equities in 2018 may choose to do so via investment vehicles such as exchange-traded funds rather than directly buying shares.

CORPORATES
INVESTMENT TRENDS PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, JP MORGAN AUSTRALIA LIMITED, AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Cyclical stocks back in play as bulls charge on

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 22 : 19-Jan-18

Analysis by Hasan Tevfik of Credit Suisse shows that stocks with the lowest volatility have traded at an average price-earnings premium of nearly 10 per cent over the last decade. In contrast, stocks with the highest volatility have traded on an average PE discount of nearly 20 per cent. Tevfik says investors should rebalance their portfolios in favour of higher-volatility cyclical stocks rather than so-called bond proxies. Stocks he favours include BHP Billiton, Whitehaven Coal, Qantas and Harvey Norman.

CORPORATES
CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, WHITEHAVEN COAL LIMITED – ASX WHC, QANTAS AIRWAYS LIMITED – ASX QAN, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, BLUESCOPE STEEL LIMITED – ASX BSL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, STOCKLAND – ASX SGP, MAGELLAN FINANCIAL GROUP LIMITED – ASX MFG, STANDARD AND POOR’S 500 INDEX, CHICAGO BOARD OPTIONS EXCHANGE VOLATILITY INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX

Overreaction presents chance to buy on dip

Original article by David Rogers
The Australian – Page: 27 : 13-Jul-17

Australia’s benchmark S&P/ASX 200 Index reached an intra-day low of 5,665.6 points on 12 July 2017, before closing one per cent lower. The domestic bourse has shed 0.8 per cent so far in July, which may be a timely opportunity for investors to buy into the market. Meanwhile, although investors remain concerned about the political risk associated with US President Donald Trump, Citigroup believes that impeachment is unlikely despite the revelations concerning a meeting between Trump’s son and a Russian lawyer.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, CITIGROUP PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, REPUBLICAN PARTY (UNITED STATES)

New financial year ‘reset’ for investors

Original article by Myriam Robin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 27 : 4-Jul-17

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 3.4 per cent in May 2017 and 0.1 per cent in June, due to factors such as tax-loss selling in the lead-up to the end of the financial year. Ophir Asset Management’s Andrew Mitchell is upbeat about the outlook for local equities in July, noting that fund managers will begin reweighting their portfolios. Institutional investors may also buy into stocks prior to the reporting season in August.

CORPORATES
STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 INDEX, OPHIR ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, MORGAN STANLEY AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TPG TELECOM LIMITED – ASX TPM, ACONEX LIMITED – ASX ACX, SANTOS LIMITED – ASX STO, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES LIMITED – ASX DMP, AVEO GROUP – ASX AOG

Global investors moving ASX funds elsewhere

Original article by Myriam Robin
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 31 : 23-Jun-17

Some fund managers suggest that the Australian sharemarket’s 1.6 per cent downturn on 21 June was prompted by foreign investors shifting out of local equities. Meanwhile, Tony Brennan and Mark Tomlins of Citigroup say Asian sharemarkets may be more attractive to international investors at present, given their better prospects for earnings upgrades. Hasan Tevfik of Credit Suisse adds that passive fund managers are likely to reduce their exposure to Australian shares in coming years as the MSCI Asia-Pacific ex-Japan’s weighting toward Chinese and Hong Kong-listed shares increases.

CORPORATES
CITIGROUP PTY LTD, CREDIT SUISSE (AUSTRALIA) LIMITED, MSCI ASIA-PACIFIC EX-JAPAN INDEX, MSCI EMERGING MARKETS INDEX, MSCI INCORPORATED, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, COMPUTERSHARE LIMITED – ASX CPU, MSCI AUSTRALIA INDEX

Time running out for tax-loss selling

Original article by Jessica Sier
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 20 : 19-Jun-17

Katana Asset Management’s Romano Sala Tenna notes that Australian investors traditionally engaged in tax-loss selling in the final week of June. However, he says investors are increasingly selling underperforming stocks well before the end of the financial year. Quantitative analysis shows that stock which experience a sharp sell-off in May and June typically rebound over the first few months of the new fiscal year. Stocks that have been subject to tax-loss selling in 2017 include Mayne Pharma, APN Outdoor Group and Harvey Norman.

CORPORATES
KATANA ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, MAYNE PHARMA GROUP LIMITED – ASX MYX, APN OUTDOOR GROUP LIMITED – ASX APO, HARVEY NORMAN HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX HVN, JB HI-FI LIMITED – ASX JBH, SUPER RETAIL GROUP LIMITED – ASX SUL, ORIGIN ENERGY LIMITED – ASX ORG, SPOTLESS GROUP HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX SPO, SLATER AND GORDON LIMITED – ASX SGH, AUSTRALIAN TAXATION OFFICE

Nearly three million Australians are ‘trusted advisors’ for finance and investment decisions

Original article by Roy Morgan Research
Market Research Update – Page: Online : 14-Jun-17

A Roy Morgan Single Source survey has found that 14% of Australians aged 14+ (2.96 million people) were asked by their friends or families for advice regarding their finances and investments in the year to March 2017. This large number of ‘trusted advisors’ has significant potential to influence the financial and banking decisions of the people who ask for their advice. The survey also shows that of the sixteen largest consumer banks, Citibank has the highest proportion of customers (25.2%) that are asked by friends or family for their financial advice. Macquarie Bank has the second highest proportion of customers who are asked for their advice (24.2%), followed by Heritage Bank (23.3%) and ING Direct (21.8%).

CORPORATES
ROY MORGAN RESEARCH LIMITED, MACQUARIE BANK LIMITED – ASX MBL, HERITAGE BANK LIMITED – ASX HBS, ING DIRECT, NATIONAL AUSTRALIA BANK LIMITED – ASX NAB, WESTPAC BANKING CORPORATION – ASX WBC, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP LIMITED – ASX ANZ, BANK OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA LIMITED, BENDIGO BANK, BANK OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA LIMITED