Oliver’s insights – Investment outlook Q&A – Tariff man & Aust exports, the RBA, $A & gold

12 February

Key points Trump’s tariff war has potentially another 6-9 months to go at least. This poses an ongoing threat to shares, but their relative resilience so far risks emboldening Trump to do even more. Even if Australian exports are not exempted...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – More Trump tariffs (and deals) – implications for investors and Australia

5 February

Key points US President Trump has announced tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China and is threatening more tariffs. The one-month delay to tariffs with Canada & Mexico is a sign they may be averted, but the uncertainty with more tariffs likely means...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – What’s driven the fall in the $A? – Does it threaten inflation and RBA easing?

22 January

Key points The $A has been hit since September by the return of Trump, a hawkish pivot by the Fed versus the RBA and concerns about the outlook for iron ore prices. We doubt the fall is significant enough to boost inflation much and...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – Australia’s falling living standards – what’s driving it and how to fix it

18 December

Key points – Falling real wages and a surge in tax and interest payments have led to a slump in Australian living standards. – But a broader driver of the malaise in living standards has been a slump in productivity growth from over 2% pa in...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – Trump 2.0: Why investors should expect a somewhat rougher ride, but it may not be as bad as feared

20 November

Key points – The economic and financial environment today is more challenging than when Trump first took over in 2017: inflation is a bit higher, the budget deficit is worse, bond yields are higher and shares are more expensive. – He also faces...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights Nine bad habits of ineffective investors: common mistakes investors make

23 October

Key points – Many of the mistakes investors make are based on common sense rules of thumb that turn out to be wrong. – As a result, it’s often wise for investors to turn common sense logic on its head. – The easiest way to avoid many of...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – Will house prices crash? And what’s needed to fix housing affordability

28 August

Key points – Predictions of an Australian house price crash create lots of interest but have been a dime a dozen over the last 20 yrs. – However, there is more to the surge in property prices than easy money with a supply shortfall being the...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – Why super and growth assets like shares really are long term investments

21 August

Key points – While growth assets like shares go through bouts of short-term underperformance versus bonds and cash, they provide superior long-term returns. So, it makes sense that superannuation has a high exposure to them. – The best approach...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – Recession fears & share mkt falls – what it means for the RBA & investors?

7 August

Key points – The risk of recession is high. – The falls in shares and commodity prices reflect this. – Lower growth and recession would mean a high risk of the inflation rate undershooting the RBA’s inflation target. – The RBA should be...[Read More]

Oliver’s insights – The rise of populism and bigger government – what it means for investors

24 July

Key points – The continuing rise of populism globally – as evident in recent European elections and in the US with Trump and the Republican party – is signalling an ongoing shift away from economic rationalist policies in favour of greater...[Read More]