The quarterly consumer price index rose 1. 2 per cent over the September quarter and 5. 4 per cent over the last 12 months. The quarterly result is higher than the 0. 8 per cent rise reported in June, however the annual consumer price index (CPI) headline figure has dropped from 6. 0 per cent.

It’s annual general meeting (AGM) season and our teams are furiously note-taking at dozens of company briefings where the opportunity to provide analysts with an update on trading conditions over the months of September and October is taken seriously.

Post-pandemic Australia is experiencing a remarkable surge in its population. Predominantly driven by a sharp incline in net migration after border restrictions were lifted, this boom, which of course brings more customers for businesses, also puts pressure on prices, entrenches inflation when supply is unable to keep up and poses essential questions for the country’s housing sector.

In this week’s video insight, I explore why the Australian S&P/ASX 200 index has shown no capital growth in the last 16 years. Australia’s taxation system is a unique creature. It heavily incentivises dividends mainly through the mechanism of franking credits. But is it time to reconsider some of your investments?

Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK), a leading player in the furniture industry, and among a handful of ASX-listed companies we would rank as “A1” in terms of quality, demonstrated confidence in its financial and strategic trajectory during its recent Annual General Meeting, shrugging off concerns over the post-pandemic economic landscape.

In the most traditional sense, mining companies are highly cyclical and require careful analysis by investors to avoid buying and selling at the wrong time. However, Deterra Royalties (ASX: DRR) provides exposure to the mining industry with much less volatility than owning a mining stock.

Securitisation plays a pivotal role in the global financial landscape, providing investors access to diversified pools of loan exposures, while allowing lenders to optimise their capital structure. Among the various types of securitisation products, residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and private warehouse securitisations stand out as prominent categories in the Australian market.

You always learn a lot hearing from seasoned investors. The beauty of the Montgomery business as it has grown is that these nuggets of wisdom through our partner managers are now spread across not only several asset classes but also across a number of geographies.

In this week’s video insight, I’ll be discussing the pleasing performance of both the Montgomery Small Companies Fund and the Aura High Yield SME Fund (for wholesale investors) in the September 2023 quarter. During this time stock markets observed widespread negative returns, mainly due to a significant increase in U.S. ten-year treasury bond yields.

The Reserve Bank of Australia provided an update on its “Recent Developments in Small Business Finance and Economic Conditions” series in the September 2023 bulletin1. The update touches on both the contribution of SMEs to the Australian economy and their access to finance (particularly small businesses), via traditional ADI (bank) funding and non-bank funding.

Some commentators, pointing to the price to earnings (P/E) ratio for major indices like the S&P500, argue the next decade will be terrible for equities. Are they right? There are always plenty of people happy to offer their opinion. The question itself is perhaps not right because most serious equity investors tend toward investing in companies, not the index.

Back in February 2020, and just before COVID-19 sent the world into a tailspin, GWA (ASX:GWA) shares were on a high, trading at nearly $4 each.