Central banks can’t buy gold fast enough, while gold miners are recovering after a dramatic selloff and Bitcoin, the asset previously regarded as digital gold, is having a miserable year.
Central banks can’t buy gold fast enough, while gold miners are recovering after a dramatic selloff and Bitcoin, the asset previously regarded as digital gold, is having a miserable year.
Did you know that assets under management in the alternatives space is tipped to hit US$30 trillion by 2030? This asset class has seen extraordinary growth in popularity in recent years, moving swiftly from the sole domain of institutions and wholesale investors to becoming broadly accessible to retail investors. Even if you aren’t exposed in your personal portfolio, there’s a high chance there are alternatives in your superannuation.
2026 is emerging as a year when it pays to understand what’s happening beneath the surface of markets. Whilst global equity markets have been weaker, there have been a number of consequential sectoral shifts behind the index headlines, some of which have insulated savvy investors from the broader weakness. Moreover, some of these shifts may be here to stay, determining the market outlook for the full year and beyond.
Emerging markets (EMs) entered 2026 with strong structural momentum behind them, but the escalation of conflict in Iran has introduced a new layer of geopolitical risk that’s reshaping capital flows, commodity dynamics, and currency regimes.
In recent years, private credit has emerged as a mainstay source of income for many investors, particularly retirees. In an environment defined by persistent inflation, increasingly volatile equity markets, and rising interest rates, some investors have been increasing their exposure to private lending strategies offering yields of 7 to 10% or more.
Imagine needing to withdraw your investment from a fund and being unable to. This is the exact dilemma that investors all over the world have faced. For some, it has been temporary. For others, their money has never been recovered.
Australia’s superannuation system is regarded as one of the most effective retirement savings structures in the world. Yet many investors are underutilising one of its most valuable features: the concessional contributions cap. For the 2025–26 financial year, Australians can contribute up to $30,000 of their pre-tax income into superannuation each year through employer contributions, salary sacrifice, or personal deductible contributions.
Investors have long watched oil prices as a gauge of global inflation, corporate profitability, geopolitical risk, and consumer spending. When it moves sharply in one direction, it’s arguably one of the most heeded signals in the market. When it spikes, the news headlines often predict equity market turmoil. When it collapses, they are more focused on the likelihood of a global recession.
When investors think about consistent income and risk management, mortgage funds are usually not front of mind. After all, their association with residential mortgage-backed securities can deter investors who remain cautious following the US subprime crisis that triggered the GFC. Those investors should bear in mind that Australia’s far more tightly regulated market offers protection against many of the same issues.
Every technological revolution eventually runs into a physical constraint. For AI, it’s becoming clear that bandwidth and energy are the main barriers the technology needs to navigate. The enormous computing clusters used to train and run modern AI models now consume staggering amounts of electricity and generate unprecedented data traffic between chips, servers and data centres.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is driving a structural shift across the technology landscape. This transition has sparked recent fear regarding the long-term viability of traditional software vendors and their established business models. Much of this fear stems from the perceived disruptive threat of AI challengers and the falling cost of software development.
The ‘4% rule’ is one of the more widely quoted guidelines for investors approaching or during retirement. It was originally developed by financial planner William Bengen using historical market simulations which suggested retirees could withdraw 4% p.a. from their portfolios without exhausting their savings over a thirty-year retirement.
If you’ve ever opened a performance report from one of your investments and then been disappointed by the actual dollar amount hitting your bank account, you’ll be very familiar with the concept that fees erode returns.