We give a 20% chance to a US corporate debt bubble burst before end 2020. It is both incredible and unconscionable that massive leverage could once again bring down Main Street a mere decade after 2008.

It was inevitable. Another upturn in the US inflation cycle is at hand. The Fed is entirely correct to send the message that there is considerably more to come in its current tightening cycle.

It is a common misconception that profit and impact are mutually exclusive. In fact, managing for mainstream risk-adjusted returns and creating a positive impact can be achieved in parallel.

This week in Forum Fodder: Prof J Bradford DeLong - Self-fulfilling financial crises; Brett Gillespie - In this tug-of-war market, you need a bet each way; Annika Bradley - 5 essentials: managed account vs managed fund; Prof Ron Bird - Asset management, overconfidence and market discipline; Nikki Thomas - Capturing future earnings upgrades leads to outperformance.

Potential returns on traditional assets are falling and the search is on for different sources of attractive returns. The Australian Asset Backed Loans asset class deserves a place in many portfolios.

Two recent research papers on investment management look firstly at the implications of overconfident managers and, secondly, at career risk associated with poor investment performance.

There is no silver bullet to portfolio implementation. Both managed funds and managed accounts can provide a more streamlined and sophisticated portfolio implementation solution – and both have pros and cons.

This week in Forum Fodder: More top rated presentations from Strategies Conference 2018! Matt Williams & Emma Goodsell - Owner-managed companies are the backbone of a good portfolio; Nikki Thomas - Capturing earnings upgrades leads to outperformance; Philipp Hofflin - Valuation mistakes will prove very costly in a post QE world; Stephen Fitzgerald - Impact investing is the way of the future for fixed income; plus Susan David, David Sanger, Chris Berg and more...

The Lendlease Investor Masterclass (10 October 2018) has been assessed and accredited by Portfolio Construction Forum for Forum CE hours. Delegates must confirm their attendance in order to receive CE acceditation.

This week in Forum Fodder - The top 10 rated presentations from Strategies Conference 2018!

The Lendlease Investor Masterclass (28 September 2018) has been assessed and accredited by Portfolio Construction Forum for Forum CE hours. Delegates must confirm their attendance in order to receive CE acceditation.

Strategies Conference 2018 (22/23 August 2018) has been assessed and accredited by Portfolio Construction Forum for Forum CE hours. Delegates must confirm their attendance in order to receive CE acceditation.

This week in Forum Fodder: Professor Joseph Stiglitz - The myth of secular stagnation: Tim Farrelly - Find me some uncorrelated assets!; Woody Brock - Today's flattening yield curve, what does it imply?; Nick Griffin - Future proofed portfolios need growth equities...

The Conexus Absolute Returns Conference 2018 (19-20 September 2018) has been assessed and accredited by Portfolio Construction Forum for Forum CE hours. Delegates must confirm their attendance in order to receive CE acceditation.

Now in its 12th year, the annual IMR Conference presents investment management research. It brings together the full spectrum of investment management analysts - academic faculty from leading university business schools, public sector members, central bankers, professional investors, consultants and experienced practitioners and advocates.

There are many lessons to be learned as we reflect on the 2008 crisis, but the most important is that the challenge was – and remains – political, not economic. Secular stagnation was just an excuse for flawed economic policies.

This week in Forum Fodder: Nouriel Roubini - The makings of a 2020 financial crisis; Tassos Stassopoulos - Culture not companies dictate investment trends; Graham Rich - the Forum’s submission to FASEA on CPD; Ron Bird - Small portfolios are beautiful; Gopi Karunakaran - Bonds no longer a reliable risk diversifier.

In the 1950s, Markowitz showed that low or negative correlation is the secret sauce that makes diversification work. While his maths stacks up, the way it is often abused, does not.

As we mark the decennial of the collapse of Lehman Brothers, there are still ongoing debates about the causes and consequences of the GFC. By 2020, conditions will be ripe for a new financial crisis.

The KangaNews Corporate Debt Summit 2018 (12 Sep 2018) has been assessed and accredited by Portfolio Construction Forum for Continuing Education (CE/CPD) hours. Delegates must confirm their attendance in order to receive CE accreditation.