Insights

InvestSMART Property Portfolio January Report

Intelligent Investor Growth Portfolio January Report

Intelligent Investor Equity Income Portfolio January Report

How our stocks have played this results season.

Acquisitions contribute to the insurance network's profits, while Virtus settles into more Australian growth despite introduction for bulk billing of IVF.

Management is across the risks at the childcare provider, while Arena's strong lease base impresses.

The home fixtures provider will face challenges as the housing cycle weakens.

The soap maker is selling into China ahead of schedule and Ridley is performing well.

The company is cheap and has good growth in its security arm.

How to select the best managers with nothing more than a prospectus and Google.

Anyone whose investment strategy is modelled on past returns is kidding themselves. It's time to face reality or lower savings targets.

Investors who don't understand the peculiarities of buying and selling ETFs will miss out on some of their benefits. Exchange-traded funds are gaining traction with retail investors in Australia for some very good reasons: they offer instant diversification, the fees are low and international markets can be bought without any fuss.

A relatively steady lead from US markets and a weaker $A has seen a firm beginning to this week's trading.

International markets ended with a note of relief last night. Stronger sessions for US stocks and oil together with selling of the Japanese yen should all set the scene for a solid tone for the opening session of our market.

The problem with economic theory is that every now and then it describes market behaviour well, meaning economists cannot be discarded entirely. In a classic "price signal" response, oil inventory numbers released overnight showed a large draw on gasoline stocks for the week as US drivers took advantage of lower petrol prices.