Currency | Clime

Upcoming Elections - 12/01/12

The uncertain investment environment is closely coupled with the uncertain political environment. Investors require certainty, and how does one have confidence in a rapidly changing political environment? It is obviously difficult to anticipate the toppling of dictators and revolutions such … Continue reading →

Smell the roses – things aren’t that bad - 11/01/12

The tumbling of the euro in recent weeks whereby one $A buys 80 euro cents is another effect of government intervention. Free market economists need to go on a very long holiday or go back to university and extend their … Continue reading →

Notes for the New Year, with a focus on housing markets - 21/12/11

Looking ahead at prospects for the share market in 2012 provides both reasons for optimism and notes of caution. Quite clearly, the inherent economic weaknesses of most western economies are still with us, and some weaknesses from the growth stories … Continue reading →

The Big Short 2 - 10/08/11

“From a value investing perspective, the sharp falls are opportunities to invest at very attractive prices. The major banks offer excellent examples. Interim results show continued strength, yet at a point on Tuesday, CBA was trading at $43.50, offering investors … Continue reading →

The View - 25/01/11

The international picture To the surprise of many, world equity markets have begun 2012 with a bit of a flurry. It certainly would have surprised the billionaires, the politicians, the economists, the hedge fund managers and the strategists who attended … Continue reading →

Evaluating Blackmores - 07/12/10

Featured in Switzer: The Experts on 7th December 2010 Blackmores Limited (ASX:BKL) was founded in the 1930s by pioneering naturopath, Maurice Blackmore. The company listed on the ASX in February 1985. BKL develops, manufactures and distributes branded vitamins and supplements … Continue reading →

Volatility is here to stay - 02/11/10

“It is folly to be unconscious to the observable developments in world markets. It is even more dangerous to ignore the likely rapid changes in fiscal policies around the world. These policies will increase taxes across a whole range of … Continue reading →

Demystifying Required Return - 13/08/10

The required return for an investment is closely associated with the risk of the investment. The base return from which other returns are derived is the so-called “risk free” return, which is derived from the government bond yield. All other … Continue reading →

Share market offers reasonable value - 14/07/10

“The Australian economy looks set to continue with reasonable economic growth. In our view, the Australian equity market continues to offer patches of reasonable value. Further, on any sensible analysis it is hard to justify why some highly indebted European … Continue reading →

Excellent investment opportunities on the horizon - 02/07/10

“By maintaining a realistic assessment of profitability (measured by ROE), maintaining a conservative required return (in our view well above 12% for most companies) and by seeking a margin of safety below a realistic assessment of value, we believe a … Continue reading →