Mixed messages: why diversification still matters

Article written by InvestNow – 1st April 2022

Over the last couple of years retail investors across the world have herded into online share-trading platforms at an astonishing rate.

In a new report on sector, the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) notes: “Retail trading historically comprised, on average, roughly 10% of all U.S. equities trading volume (prior to the COVID-19 pandemic). That figure reportedly doubled to roughly 20% in 2020, and reached […]

Manager Panel – Market volatility

Welcome to the March 2022 Manager Panel! Each month, where relevant, InvestNow will ask some of our fund managers some questions surrounding a topic. This month we asked Milford, Smartshares, Harbour Asset Management and Fisher Funds, some questions in regards to current market volatility and future market predictions. Read their responses to the questions below.

Mark Riggall, Balanced Fund Portfolio Manager – Milford

Blow-in: why inflation is the new risk in town

Article written by InvestNow – 28th February 2022

Everything is up.

After a decade when monetary authorities were more concerned about deflation rather than out-of-control rising prices, official inflation gauges have risen to levels not seen since the 1980s.

In the US, for example, the most-cited annual inflation measure hit 7.5% this January compared to 1.7% just 12 months previously.

Reserve Bank of NZ (RBNZ) data paints a similar picture here: the […]

Manager Panel

Welcome to the February 2022 Manager Panel! Each month, where relevant, InvestNow will ask some of our fund managers some questions about a topic. We’ve asked Mark Donnell (Lighthouse Funds) and Greg Smith (Devon Funds) for their views on what investors should do, if anything, in response to this inflationary period.

Mark Donnell – Lighthouse Funds

Q1: What, if anything, do you […]

Responsible Investing – not a fleeting fad

Article written by David Fyfe – Portfolio Manager, Mint New Zealand SRI Equity Fund, Mint Asset Management – 7th February 2022

When Mint began our journey on including ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) factors into our process many years ago, a common question was often “Why would you, surely you are just reducing your investible universe and hence lowering performance?” As with any change from tradition, some probing questions should be […]

Classic hits of 2021 revisited (plus all the new releases)

Article written by David Boyle, Mint Asset Management – 12th December 2021

Mint Asset Management’s Head of Sales and Marketing, David Boyle, looks back on his hit-picks for the industry in 2021… and forward to another compliant year.

Someone a lot smarter than me once advised me: “Boyle sometimes you need to look back to go forward.”

And while I have been in a rush to say goodbye to 2021 […]

Manager Panel – Currency-hedged funds

Welcome to the Manager Panel! Each month, InvestNow will ask a few of our fund managers some questions about a topic. Read below their thoughts on currency-hedged funds, in regards to the November article  — Currency hedging for Kiwi fund investors: The easy way to steer safe in the $2.4 quadrillion tide.

George Carter, Managing Director – Nikko Asset Management New Zealand

How to be a better-than-average investor by averaging

Article written by InvestNow – 30th November 2021

Buy-low, sell-high is the stock-standard advice for generating capital returns on investment assets.

Unfortunately, the self-evident piece of folk wisdom does not come with any practical guidance on how to spot the ideal buying and selling moments.

And anyone familiar with the ups and downs of investment markets has likely reached the frustrating conclusion that it’s nearly impossible to predict market behaviour on any […]

Currency hedging for Kiwi fund investors: The easy way to steer safe in the $2.4 quadrillion tide

Article written by InvestNow – 30th November 2021

On any given day about US$6.6 trillion courses through global foreign exchange markets, according to the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), in a constant tidal movement of cross-border financial flows.

Estimates from the BIS, the central bank for central banks, put the entire value of tradable world currencies in 2019 at over US$2.4 quadrillion […]

Fee-thinking: price-check in the fund aisle

Article written by InvestNow – 29th October 2021

Nothing comes for free in this world, but price isn’t everything.

Indeed, while most people are cost-conscious (otherwise supermarkets wouldn’t run ‘special offers’), they are also usually prepared to pay more for perceived quality or ‘value’.

But for managed fund investors the concept of ‘value for money’ – now a major focus for the Financial Markets Authority […]