Video of the week

Preview of the Portfolio Construction Forum Strategy Summit 2024 with Jonathan Ramsay & Jonathan Tolub

August 7, 2024
Join Us at the Portfolio Construction Forum’s Strategy Summit in Sydney

We are all painfully aware that the financial advice industry is on the cusp of significant change as it grapples with increased regulation, the industrialisation of advice delivery, and rapidly shifting market dynamics. Against this backdrop, the Portfolio Construction Forum’s upcoming Strategy Summit (August 21st/22nd) has leaned into the change to build an agenda that reflects where the industry is at and how to move forward. 

In this week's video, Director’s JT and JR share a preview of the conference and explore how the theme 'The whole is worth more than the sum of the parts' aptly describes our approach: blending our process with our clients' needs to create a comprehensive, collaborative solution for investors.

Summit Agenda Preview:

The conference structure mirrors the investment decision-making cycle, broken down into the following ‘content blocks’:

1.    Macro Scene Setting: Setting the economic context.

2.    Strategies: Beyond products, focusing on thematic implementations of macro strategies.

3.    Public vs Private assets with some interesting sessions like ‘In Defense of Public Markets’ as well as the prospect of ‘Passive in Private’ 

4.     Portfolio Design – asset allocation principles, portfolio optimisation form a range of people like us (asset consultants but also including an interesting speaker from the US that runs an outsourced CIO business)

5.    Human factors – behavioural finance including one from Tassos Stassopolus of Trinetra called “ A change of perspective is worth 80 IQ points” which has piqued our interest (sounds like a good deal to us!)

6.     Investment Committee Hypothetical – Economic and Asset Class Outlook / Asset Allocation including 1 session run by InvestSense involving Economist Andrew Hunt which turns all of these ideas into ‘a’ portfolio with panel and audience participation.

7.    An optional Implementation Workshop on the 2nd afternoon where InvestSense will facilitate a discussion with and amongst advisers about how some of these ideas might make it into their practices and their clients’ portfolios (in person only).

"We're trying to make the sum of all the parts – of us, of the managers we bring into portfolios, of all the other contributors – more valuable as a whole when they end up in clients’ hands." In an era of profound change, this holistic, systems-based approach could be exactly what advisers need to energise their practices. 

Come along and join us on August 21st & 22nd.

Register here to access the live stream: Portfolio Construction Forum Strategies Summit 2024 Live Stream

We also have a limited number of tickets available for the in-person event in Sydney, please get in touch with the team (it’s quite a production and great fun). 

Financial Markets Digest Fed's Hawkish Cut as Central Banks Make Final Moves of 2024

December 19, 2024
Read More

2024 in Review and What to Expect in 2025 with Hunt Economics

December 19, 2024
Read More

Central Banks Poised to Cut Rates Amid Sluggish Growth

December 10, 2024
Read More

Markets Outlook: Near-Term Liquidity, Medium-Term Risks, Long-Term Inflation Prospects with Economist Andrew Hunt

December 10, 2024
Read More

Markets Adjust as Trump Rhetoric Heats Up and Central Banks Signal Slower Pace of Cuts

December 4, 2024
Read More

Markets Reflect Diverging Economic Paths for U.S. and Europe

November 26, 2024
Read More

Market Whiplash: How Markets Are Reacting to Trump’s Policy Signals

November 25, 2024
Read More

The Implications of Trump's (likely) Clean Sweep: A Turning Point for the Global Economy

November 13, 2024
Read More

Trump Trade Unwinds: Market Reactions to the U.S. Election Outcome

November 12, 2024
Read More

Markets Hold Steady with Eyes on the U.S. Elections and Economic Updates

October 31, 2024
Read More

Key Insights from the H&B NSW 2024 Wealth Symposium

October 30, 2024
Read More

Markets Mixed as Australia Shows Resilience Amid Global Slowdown Signals

October 30, 2024
Read More

Markets slid again last week, with a concentrated sell off in US tech

August 2, 2024
Markets slid again last week but the selling was concentrated in US tech, most of which is down 10% or so this year. Much of last week’s selling occurred in the last 2 sessions of the week.
Read More

Recession fears build, yet equity markets end the week higher

August 2, 2024
Fears of a US recession later this year gathered pace last week and the US equity market jumped by almost 7% and the Nasdaq was up some 9%.
Read More

Inflation - Flash Update

August 2, 2024
In light of the recent inflation data coming out of the US, we dive in to why the market is so upset about a 0.1% increase in prices, and what this means from an Australian investor's perspective.
Read More

Interest rate sensitivity persists into the new year

August 2, 2024
During the last few weeks, the prospect of rising interest rate expectations continued to grip markets, as the soft landing/rapid disinflation thesis was tested.
Read More

Strong start to the year continues despite recession concerns

August 2, 2024
As the world’s elite gathered in a snowless Davos, markets focused on much more immediate concerns, starting with the continuing wave of layoffs in corporate America. Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet (Google’s parent company), Salesforce and Goldman Sachs, among others, took turns to announce staff cuts. It would appear boardrooms and CEOs are lending some credence to the possibility of a recession in 2023.
Read More

Equities turbulent but resilient as interest rates rise

August 2, 2024
Last week the S&P 500 traded in a 3% range, having done a 2% round trip on Thursday, followed by a 3% fall on Friday after the inflation data release and then another almost 2% round trip yesterday. Emerging markets were the worst performing, down 4% for the week. Taking a step back though, most equity markets haven’t given back that much of their gains from January, while Europe and the Nasdaq remain up 10% for the year.
Read More

Helping your clients assess the climate impact of their Portfolio

August 2, 2024
Nathan Fradley explains how the ethosesg technology can help you assess and design an ethical portfolio that aligns to an investor’s personal values.
Read More

Carbon credits and investing – is it the outcome we expect?

August 2, 2024
ETFs that invest in carbon credits are now available. Why should we assume that their price will go up over time? And does buying a carbon credit ETF actually contribute positively to emissions reduction? Will it actually generate the outcome investors are expecting? This article explores the issues around investing in carbon credits.
Read More

Better World makes a difference with investment in renewables

August 2, 2024
There are many direct assets and funds that contribute positively to climate action within the InvestSense Better World Portfolios. Meridian Energy is one of the stand-out direct assets in the portfolio with a climate energy focus.
Read More

Bad news equals good news

August 2, 2024
In recent years professional investors have got increasingly used to the fact that good news is bad news for markets because higher interest rates are likely to be necessary, and of course vice-versa. However, last week the effect was stronger than ever and stocks rallied mid-week amidst reports of widespread lay-offs and expectations of a weak US jobs report.
Read More

‘Buy the dip’ opportunism start surfacing

August 2, 2024
The US market finally market caught a bid last week. Early in the week the market was down few percent after an earnings miss by ad dependent social media platform Snap (of Snapchat fame) combined with weak guidance raised more doubts about the economy and economic resilience of tech companies.
Read More

US momentarily dips into official bear market territory

August 2, 2024
The seventh negative week in a row for the US sent it briefly into official bear market territory before it recovered slightly late on Friday. The world’s largest stocks (Apple, Microsoft Amazon and Google) are all down 25%.
Read More

How Mark Lewin saved 13 hours a week with Managed Accounts

August 2, 2024
Mark Lewin was a financial planner, but is now the Director of Back Office Heros. In his planning business he gained significant efficiencies by recommending and implementing managed accounts for his clients. He tells us how...
Read More
Icon of a letter

InvestSense insights, delivered straight to your inbox.

Icon of a letter

Get the latest industry news

Icon of a letter

Get the latest industry news

Icon of a letter

Get the latest industry news