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Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 551

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 551

Australian banks have had a great run of late, compared to both the ASX 200 and other major sectors. Source: Morgan Stanley, courtesy of Clime Asset Management Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has stood out. It was largely flat for seven months into October last year, before exploding higher in recent months. Over the past 12 months, its share price has climbed ...
The greatest investor you’ve never heard of

The greatest investor you’ve never heard of

Who is the greatest ever investor? Most of you will inevitably answer: Warren Buffett. Yet, what if I told you that there’s another contender, one who has an even better track record over an extended period? Hedge fund investor Jim Simons’ flagship Medallion Fund has returned an astonishing 62% per annum over 33 years. $1,000 invested in his fund in ...
Taskforce recommendations to shake up aged care

Taskforce recommendations to shake up aged care

It was late on Monday night (11th March) when the Government released the much-anticipated report from the Aged Care Taskforce, discussing how to fund aged care services to ensure sustainability and what it is likely to cost us to access the care we need. The Royal Commission into Aged Care found that improvements are needed for the aged care system to ...
Toyota: How the hybrid engine regeared the investment case

Toyota: How the hybrid engine regeared the investment case

The world’s biggest car company is reaping the rewards for a multi-pronged approach to reducing CO2. Here’s why that’s good news for investors. Toyota has been a long-term holding for us, and it’s been a relatively easy decision to own it. After all, Toyota is: the world’s largest car maker 1 the world’s 6th most valuable brand 2 the company that in ...
It pays to look under the hood of ETFs

It pays to look under the hood of ETFs

Since the rise of ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), there has been a focus on fees. The first casualties were active managers who started to see their market share being eroded by these low-cost, transparent funds. Many active managers dropped their fees. As ETFs gained traction, more asset management businesses started offering more ETFs. Often the ...
Will the RBA cut rates before the Fed?

Will the RBA cut rates before the Fed?

Everyone is fixated on when the US Federal Reserve will cut rates. The discussion isn’t if, but when, and by how much. This is welcome news for a bond market that, so far in 2024, is treading water when one considers the year-to-date negative returns for the major benchmarks – the Bloomberg Ausbond Composite Index and Bloomberg Global Aggregate. A big ...
Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 550

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 550

Equity markets are booming. The S&P 500 is up 7% year-to-date and has risen 16 of the past 18 weeks, something that hasn’t been seen since 1971. The so-called Magnificent Seven are the talk of the town, as key drivers to the upwards move. These stocks are up 92% since the start of last year, versus the rest of the S&P 500, which has increased ...
11 ASX dividend stocks for the next decade

11 ASX dividend stocks for the next decade

Last week, I wrote an article on ASX stocks that you could buy and hold forever. A subscriber suggested a follow-up article on stocks for people who want dividends which can see them through retirement. Here is my attempt to deliver on that. I’m going to focus on stocks that can provide sustainable, growing dividends over a 10-year period. This way, ...
Time to smash the retirement nest egg – but how?

Time to smash the retirement nest egg – but how?

Remember Easter 2022 when passengers were in long queues at capital city airports, waiting hours for flights, some of which were cancelled? And the reward for their inconvenience and patience? They were slammed as not ‘match fit’ by then Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce. Well, we know how that ended, don’t we? Those passengers were match fit, but the airlines ...
The standout winners from February reporting season

The standout winners from February reporting season

During February and August every year, most Australian listed companies reveal their profit results and guide how they expect their businesses to perform in the upcoming year. Whilst we regularly meet with companies between reporting periods to gauge how their businesses are performing, reporting season offers investors a detailed and externally ...

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 551

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 551
Australian banks have had a great run of late, compared to both the ASX 200 and other major sectors. Source: Morgan Stanley, courtesy of Clime Asset Management Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has stood out. It was largely flat for seven months into October last year, before exploding higher in recent months. Over the past 12 months, its share price has climbed ...

The greatest investor you’ve never heard of

The greatest investor you’ve never heard of
Who is the greatest ever investor? Most of you will inevitably answer: Warren Buffett. Yet, what if I told you that there’s another contender, one who has an even better track record over an extended period? Hedge fund investor Jim Simons’ flagship Medallion Fund has returned an astonishing 62% per annum over 33 years. $1,000 invested in his fund in ...

Taskforce recommendations to shake up aged care

Taskforce recommendations to shake up aged care
It was late on Monday night (11th March) when the Government released the much-anticipated report from the Aged Care Taskforce, discussing how to fund aged care services to ensure sustainability and what it is likely to cost us to access the care we need. The Royal Commission into Aged Care found that improvements are needed for the aged care system to ...

Toyota: How the hybrid engine regeared the investment case

Toyota: How the hybrid engine regeared the investment case
The world’s biggest car company is reaping the rewards for a multi-pronged approach to reducing CO2. Here’s why that’s good news for investors. Toyota has been a long-term holding for us, and it’s been a relatively easy decision to own it. After all, Toyota is: the world’s largest car maker 1 the world’s 6th most valuable brand 2 the company that in ...

It pays to look under the hood of ETFs

It pays to look under the hood of ETFs
Since the rise of ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds), there has been a focus on fees. The first casualties were active managers who started to see their market share being eroded by these low-cost, transparent funds. Many active managers dropped their fees. As ETFs gained traction, more asset management businesses started offering more ETFs. Often the ...

Will the RBA cut rates before the Fed?

Will the RBA cut rates before the Fed?
Everyone is fixated on when the US Federal Reserve will cut rates. The discussion isn’t if, but when, and by how much. This is welcome news for a bond market that, so far in 2024, is treading water when one considers the year-to-date negative returns for the major benchmarks – the Bloomberg Ausbond Composite Index and Bloomberg Global Aggregate. A big ...

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 550

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 550
Equity markets are booming. The S&P 500 is up 7% year-to-date and has risen 16 of the past 18 weeks, something that hasn’t been seen since 1971. The so-called Magnificent Seven are the talk of the town, as key drivers to the upwards move. These stocks are up 92% since the start of last year, versus the rest of the S&P 500, which has increased ...

11 ASX dividend stocks for the next decade

11 ASX dividend stocks for the next decade
Last week, I wrote an article on ASX stocks that you could buy and hold forever. A subscriber suggested a follow-up article on stocks for people who want dividends which can see them through retirement. Here is my attempt to deliver on that. I’m going to focus on stocks that can provide sustainable, growing dividends over a 10-year period. This way, ...

Time to smash the retirement nest egg – but how?

Time to smash the retirement nest egg – but how?
Remember Easter 2022 when passengers were in long queues at capital city airports, waiting hours for flights, some of which were cancelled? And the reward for their inconvenience and patience? They were slammed as not ‘match fit’ by then Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce. Well, we know how that ended, don’t we? Those passengers were match fit, but the airlines ...

The standout winners from February reporting season

The standout winners from February reporting season
During February and August every year, most Australian listed companies reveal their profit results and guide how they expect their businesses to perform in the upcoming year. Whilst we regularly meet with companies between reporting periods to gauge how their businesses are performing, reporting season offers investors a detailed and externally ...