Key themes playing out in the market at present include the ECB's LTRO, ongoing recovery in the USA, the rise of the Eastern consumer and a secular move to e-commerce and electronic payments...

Last week, I visited Shanghai and Beijing. The most intriguing insight relates to the longer term sustainability of China’s economic growth model.

Advisers could grow their client bases much more quickly if they could eliminate the bad habit of asking their clients for referrals...

In this second feature in our series, financialalert spoke with a major fixed income provider, an Authorised Financial Adviser assessor, various AFAs and our own publisher about how advisers should consider the use of debt in portfolios...

SFO launches further investigation into NZF Finance; Home loan affordability near its best in 7 years; NZACU partners with Fisher Funds; Quick check formula for retirement savings; and Kiwis' net wealth increasing...

Geoff Davey has an international reputation as a risk tolerance expert. He discusses the role of risk tolerance and where regulation may be headed.

Woody is one of the world's leading economic thinkers. He view is that China is the worst case of currency manipulation in history.

The way investment advisers think about debt within portfolios has changed over recent years given the demise of finance companies and of the ING CDO/CLO fund failures. In the first of a two-part feature, financialalert asked advisers and product providers what debt instruments should feature in portfolios, and what role they should play...

FSC launched, three clear aims; Australian regulator to ramp up wrap regs; FMA consults on disclosure in offer docs; Research underway cost of 'comfortable' retirement; NZ major banks' outlook 'benign'; Rating released on NZ Association of Credit Unions...

Fees and levies on advisers under the new regulatory environment were due to be established in May 2010. But nearly two years on, advisers still don't know how much they'll be paying. We asked the Ministry of Economic Development for an update...

While we tend to focus on sharp market crashes, sudden declines that recover quickly within just a year or few are not necessarily problematic. What is far more destructive are extended periods of mediocre returns...

Communicating with clients in an effective and economical way can be tricky - especially when the news might not be crash hot. financialalert spoke with communications experts working with advisers on both sides of the Tasman about the frequency, content and types of contact advisers should be having, and the growing use of social media...

Analysis of Lombard v Nathans; Lonsec to launch quant analytics tool; Partners Life appoints Knowles; AIA grows market share; Home affordability continues to improve...

Helping clients understand portfolio risk is one of the most difficult challenges faced by advisers. Following on from my previous blog in which I looked at how often a portfolio might be falling, recovering and rising, now we turn to showing investors how often and over what periods falls might occur, how deep they might be, and how long the portfolio might take to recover...

The prevailing expectation is that we’re in for a period of lower returns and significant volatility. In this exclusive interview, Michael Turner, Head of Quantitative Research & Analysis with FRM in London discusses how a CTA fund can contribute to portfolios in such an environment...

TNP launches new professional association; guidance note for adviser remuneration disclosure; check business interruption cover; Asia-Pacific ahead in ESG ratings; site offers director of parliament and government agencies; Auckland Council ratings upgraded...

Tate explains why IFA broke from FAANZ; S&P exits fund research; NZ will top developed world growth over next four decades; New risk tolerance tool; Health insurance numbers stablising...

This Academy Seminar debates the following three topics in a Socratic learning environment: Investment fables II - Momentum; Making sense of Markets Summit; and, Developing a robust philosophy and policy...

For decades, long-only equities has been “king”, the dominant component of most long-term investors’ portfolios. But, the King has been overthrown in recent years, and cash has assumed the throne as investors have flocked to its supposed safety. Cash is King - but is just it a pretender to the throne? Markets Summit 2012 debated how long cash will remain King, how other asset classes will fare against it over the coming three years – and how we can do better than cash when building quality investor portfolios…

The Hot Topic Debate at the 2012 Markets Summit focused on the case for and against including gold in portfolios. Is gold a good means of portfolio diversification and protection, as well as a hedge against inflation and currency depreciation? Or is it, as those in the opposing corner argue, that the last decade is an anomaly for gold and it has no place in portfolios...