Insights

Concerns are rising that earnings estimates for Australian equities are too optimistic for FY15. Economic indicators, however, suggest otherwise.

The company is currently in a sweet spot, benefiting from an industry transition to MRI scans. At current share price levels, however, more acquisitions are required.

The Parisian-based luxury goods conglomerate, LVMH, has reported exceptional results for 2014 as consumers aspire to own its flagship brands. More are on the way.

We discontinue coverage of the stock following its completed buy-back last month as its key valuation drivers have become too unpredictable.

Soaring share prices and dividend payout ratios put the focus squarely on earnings growth.

The stock market will open up this morning at the start of what promises to be an interesting week for traders.

The Australian Market was sold off in early trade despite the positive leads from overseas markets. Profit takers took advantage of the recent run in Financial and Material companies sending the Australian Index over 40 points lower, before money returned to the banks, now paring most of this morning's losses.

Morgan Stanley warns that the world is revisiting the "ghosts of the 1930s" as one country after another tries to steal a march on others by devaluing first. Sweden has cut interest rates below zero and launched quantitative easing to fight deflation, becoming the latest Scandinavian state to join Europe's escalating currency wars.

"Grexit" would be sudden, sharp and probably conducted in the dark of night; if Greece were to quit the euro, it would also mark the beginning of a long, hard road - for some harder still than the one already traveled.

Overnight, traders and investors read weak European data as further confirmation of ECB stimulus, driving continental shares higher. Similarly, US markets ignored anaemic retail sales to send markets higher on good corporate reports. Throw in a rally in oil and copper, and Australian shares are set to recoup yesterday's lost ground.

When I started my career over thirty years ago, Australian ten year Government bonds offered a yield of around 14% and global bond yields were similarly high. The big question then was why they were so high? Now, it is why are they so low? The ten year bond yield in Australia is just 2.6%.

A quiet night's trading has local investors optimistic about trading today, with futures markets indicating a 14 point rise at the open. Against a backdrop of Grexit worries and another solid US reporting session, local factors are likely to dominate action as jobs numbers drop and Australian companies deliver results.

Could state election surprises trigger new infrastructure opportunities?

Low interest rates sound a warning for SMSFs and potential property investors.

After the four major banks listed a string of hybrid notes, the market is hinting it's had too much of a good thing.

In the first of our series of fund manager interviews, we examine why Bentham fixed income funds have outperformed.