ETF Articles

It’s a popular pastime for professional and individual investors to bemoan the impacts the rise of passive funds is having on markets. However, recent Goldman Sachs research questions the validity of this argument. We use that research as we embark on a myth-debunking journey.

More than a few fund managers have highlighted that fixed income investing these days is a world away from what it used to be. They’d be right. The very structure of global fixed income markets has changed since the Global Financial Crisis. As with all structural shifts, it pays to revisit the here and now on occasion to ensure your current strategy is fit for purpose. The reality is the strategies necessary to generate alpha in fixed income markets are different from the past.

Innovation has moved beyond being just a nice-to-have at the periphery of most portfolios—it’s now a key focus in investment strategies. With sectors like AI, renewable energy, and biotech leading the way, more investors are adjusting their portfolios to capture the growth potential of these cutting-edge technologies.

Cash and term deposits (TDs) have been popular with investors over the past couple of years, thanks to the RBA’s aggressive rate hikes. With cash rates peaking at 4.35%, investors enjoyed returns as high as 5% through TDs and high-interest savings accounts.

In recent years, emerging markets haven’t exactly been a sure-fire opportunity for investors. Many have retreated after a decade of flat earnings, turbulence in China, and more attractive returns from the US exposure, resulting in emerging markets trading at lower valuations than their developed market counterparts.

Active fund management has long provided investors with easy access to professional management expertise across a range of asset classes. With equity markets reaching high valuations driven by tech stocks, stock picking has arguably become more important than ever. So it may be an ideal time to increase your exposure to active funds with the stock picking expertise required to navigate what’s coming next in financial markets.

Momentum is defined as ‘the impetus gained by a moving object.’ It’s an important concept that's at the heart of most success.. Tony Robbins explains why: ‘People who succeed have momentum. The more they succeed, the more they want to succeed, and the more they find a way to succeed.’

What began as a tool for young investors and self-managed superannuation funds seeking diversification and exposure to harder-to-access asset classes like international equities has now become a mainstream investment.

Unitised funds, which pool investments from multiple investors and invest in a broad portfolio of assets, allow investors to access the in-depth knowledge, research, and ongoing monitoring of professional managers.