Today's slowdown is truly global, with economies everywhere contributing to it. We witness "disappointing" growth, quarter by quarter, year after year. The consensus pays too much attention to China as the cause. So what really is behind all this?

In Fodder NZ this week - Dom McCormick on illiquid assets, Michael Kitces on goal risk tolerance plus articles from Jon Shead, Dr Marcel Erni and Fidelity Worldwide Investment.

In Fodder this week - Dom McCormick on illiquid assets, Michael Kitces on goal risk tolerance plus articles from Jon Shead, Dr Marcel Erni and Fidelity Worldwide Investment.

Risk tolerance is a key constraint in designing a portfolio, but it should also be considered a key constraint in establishing their goals for investing in the first place.

Research Roundtable helps identify quality investment solutions and their place in portfolios. Covering a diverse range of investment strategies across a continuous series of meetings, it aims to further develop Investment Committee members’ knowledge and skill in the “secondary” fund research area of “know your product”, and the related due diligence of fund research houses, fund managers and funds, as well as Investment Committee APL and multi-manager portfolio decision-making.

In Fodder NZ this week - terrorism and rate rises with Oliver Hartwich, Marko Papic, Charles Gave, Tony Crescenzi and Robert Gay

The Paris terror attacks have severe political, strategic and economic implications. After only one week, the Union moved away from its ideal of free movement of people, and fiscal rules.

In Fodder this week - terrorism and rate rises with Oliver Hartwich, Marko Papic, Charles Gave, Tony Crescenzi and Robert Gay

I am not at all sure that an eventual interest rate increase from the Federal Reserve should be dismissed as an event with little impact in the real world.

If Paris is not an anomaly, and the frequency or magnitude of terrorist attacks against soft targets in G7 cities increases, what will be the geopolitical, economic and investment consequences?

In October, I joined Dr Woody Brock and PIMCO's Fed watcher, Tony Crescenzi, and 18 senior practitioners for a workshop organised by PortfolioConstruction Forum on where global monetary policy was headed. Three key views emerged.

We examine four situations where individuals make poor choices and review the research to show where the brain makes those decisions. In each case, we present some ideas about how to overcome the potentially suboptimal choice when it comes to investing.

In Fodder NZ this week - Tim Farrelly, Anatole Kaletsky, Robert Huebscher and Oliver Hartwich. Plus a great Finology piece from Credit Suisse.

In Fodder this week - Tim Farrelly, Anatole Kaletsky, Robert Huebscher and Oliver Hartwich. Plus a great Finology piece from Credit Suisse.

Slides and video from my narrative at IMCA Conference 2015 "Innovate... disrupt or be disrupted".

Financial pundits routinely claim that US inflation is much higher than the reported statistics. Viewed over the longer term, however, US inflation is far lower than reflected in the published data, according to economist, Dr Woody Brock.

The US Fed is near-certain to start its tightening cycle on 16 December. Apart from praising Yellen for consistency and foresight (instead of castigating her for confusion and indecisiveness), how should investors react?

Since Angela Merkel singlehandedly opened Germany's borders to refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and any other nomads, the continent has been plunged into chaos. It threatens to wreck the European Union - or, at least turn it into an entirely different organisation.

In Fodder this week - Michael Furey asks if asset allocation is still important today. Plus pieces on Russia and India.

In Fodder this week - Michael Furey asks if asset allocation is still important today. Plus pieces on Russia and India.