As markets absorb the implications of Donald Trump's return to the White House, investors are increasingly concerned by his promises to implement new tariffs on imported goods.
Tariffs & Markets: What History Tells Us About What May Lie Ahead
1 min
Hedonic Treadmills Have No Finish Line
As Dan Solin (author of ‘The Smartest Investment Book You'll Ever Read’) astutely observes, "The financial media is not your friend. Its primary goal is to separate you from your money."[I]
1 min
A Swiss Miss
The saga of wobbly banks continues with the private-sector bailout of First Republic, which had lost another third of its already depressed value as at 17 March.
1 min
Silicon Valley Bank: Why NZ Investors need not panic
Fifteen years is not long enough for most of us to have forgotten the pain of the GFC. However, while undoubtedly unnerving for investors, this is not shaping up to be GFC 2.0 as matters stand.
1 min
FTX: Latest crypto collapse loses billions in customer cash
The so-called ‘King of Crypto’, Sam Bankman-Fried, has lost his crown in a breath-taking blow. His company filed for bankruptcy, and the estimated 1.2 million users who use the exchange to buy crypto have been left in the lurch with their digital wallets frozen.
1 min
All that glitters... might be a scam
Recently we had a strange review appear on our Facebook page. It was not regarding our people, nor our services – but it was just specific enough to seem passably legitimate to the uninitiated.
1 min
Toilet Paper Vs Equities | Covid-19 Special Focus
The outbreak of COVID-19 has provided numerous examples of decisions that are seemingly fuelled by stress and uncertainty; from the bizarre stockpiling of toilet paper to investors moving between funds and cashing out.
1 min
Be wary of Finfluencers
Rob Everett, CEO of Financial Markets Authority (FMA), says: In New Zealand, many people now offer their thoughts and perspectives on financial matters, and some have built strong followings on social media. But sometimes talking about money or investing can cross over into providing financial advice.
1 min
GameStop Hangover
GameStop. Hedge Funds. Wall Street Bets. Robinhood. What was it all? In the last week of January, the price of the stock in GameStop (NYSE: GME) – an ailing brick-and-mortar video game retailer – very suddenly skyrocketed.
1 min
Lessons to learn from the current bear market | Covid-19 Special Focus
Stressful events such as the current bear market are an unpleasant reality, with many investors trying to wish away negatives results in the hope they become a distant memory, but they also provide incredibly important lessons for investors and financial advisers.
1 min
Toilet Paper Vs Equities | Covid-19 Special Focus
The outbreak of COVID-19 has provided numerous examples of decisions that are seemingly fuelled by stress and uncertainty; from the bizarre stockpiling of toilet paper to investors moving between funds and cashing out.
1 min
Market Falls & Recoveries | Covid-19 Special Focus
An important part of our role at Stewart Group is to give our clients the confidence that it is sensible and prudent to remain disciplined when stock markets are volatile. We think this video will hopefully add to that confidence.
1 min
Watch out for those pirate funds
A few minutes into trading on the third of February 2020 the ASX released a list of companies whose securities had been suspended from trading for an unacceptable period of time. It was removing their listings from the exchange. Why? Various reasons, but most had gone bust. Many were now shells.
1 min
Defining Adviser Alpha
Alpha. In an investment sense it means how much better your returns were against a specific benchmark. For example, if you were holding an NZX 50 fund and it returned 12% while the S&P/NZX 50 portfolio index returned 10%, your alpha is 2%. This can also work in reverse. Your fund returns 8% while the index returned 10%, well you’ve got negative alpha of 2%.
1 min
The IPO Saga
The hype in new IPOs continues to be huge. The recent announcement by Hawke’s Bay Regional Council approving to float a 45% stake in the Napier Port on July 15th has stirred up a lot of interest among many investors in New Zealand.
1 min
Make sure you have a 'fire drill' for your investment plan
An adviser once said he did not so much have people with investment problems as he had investments with people problems. Your assumed rationality can vanish in a crisis. So why not build your human imperfections into your game plan?
1 min
Three Wise Birds
As a topic of conversation, investment is like sports. Everyone has an opinion. And the strongest opinions often come from those who spend more time in front of the TV than out on the field. Practitioners, meanwhile, are wary of anything labelled a sure thing.
1 min
Déjà vu all over again
Investment fads are nothing new. When selecting strategies for their portfolios, investors are often tempted to seek out the latest and greatest investment opportunities.
1 min
Take the rough with the smooth
A key to a successful investment experience is understanding how markets behave and developing the discipline to avoid rash decisions based on short time periods.
1 min
Better investment decision making
Making sensible investment decisions is difficult. We are subject to a range of behavioural biases. We have to cope with incessant noise around financial markets. We behave in ways that are inconsistent with our long-term investment objectives. So, what can we do about it?
1 min
