Multi-asset, multi-manager investment portfolios can be viewed as complex machines that, if properly assembled and managed, provide benefits far outweighing those of their individual components. The whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts! Strategies Summit 2024 (Wed-Thu 21-22 Aug) challenged and refreshed delegates' portfolio construction thinking by debating contemporary and emerging portfolio construction strategies to help them build better quality portfolios.

The free world faces two related threats. First, the likelihood of World War III is rapidly rising. Second, the creation of a coalition of law-abiding nations appears less likely. And investors anticipating significant interest rate cuts face disappointment.

Wetware-powered AI is changing the way we manage risk and uncertainty, including in financial markets. Its rise will also profoundly change how humans think about the nature of reality — in finance and more generally.

Read any book on Complexity Science and the first example of a Complex Adaptive System is the economy and financial markets. Complex systems exhibit "emergence" which means that the whole is always more than the sum of its parts.

Are supply chains fixed or broken? In the second half of 2024, firms are having to deal with logistics network volatility. Heading into 2025, political and regulatory risks provide risks and opportunities for investors.

This lecture instructs IMAC candidates on the diversification benefits and limitations of a multi-asset, multi-manager approach to portfolio construction.

This lecture instructs IMAC candidates on the fundamentals of client discovery and formulating an Investment Policy Statement in the investment consulting context.

Many Australians view the rise of western "populism" as irrational. But former Australian politician and immediate past Ambassador to the US, Arthur Sinodinos, thinks differently.

While the majority underperform, there are still many, many managers that do outperform their relevant index over long periods. The rewards for good manager selection are real and worthwhile - if you have above average manager selection skills.

Economists are struggling to reconcile their upbeat views on the US economy with the angst of average Americans. The key measures of economic performance are almost perfect. But voters continue to cite the economy as a top issue.

This lecture instructs IMAC candidates on the process for the design of a strategic investment plan for a portfolio to meet client goals, that applies equally to a small retail client or a very large institutional client.

I was speaking to a new doctoral student whose thesis is on the role of risk profiling in the development of an investment strategy. This led us to discuss why risk profiling was important and the purpose of investment advice.

The Big Five model of personality traits remains the dominant framework in personality research. Increasingly, it appears that aspects of investor sentiment and decision-making can also be explained by Big Five personality traits.

This lecture instructs IMAC candidates on the use of returns-based multi-factor analysis to better understand the underlying drivers of a managed fund's return and risk over its life.

Many commentators have noticed the positive correlation between bonds and equities over the past few years and announced the end of bonds as a useful diversifier - often claiming "The 60/40 portfolio is dead, long live alternatives!".

Capital markets believe that interest rates are indeed on a downward path. Regulators would do well to get ahead of the next speculative cycle while they still can.

With Australian insolvencies at a 25-year high and corporate debt defaults rising globally, many investors are hoping that central banks will significantly reduce interest rates. But Coolabah Capital's Chris Joye thinks differently.

Investors must pay close attention to emergent supply chain disruption events, including those caused by mother nature. Four real-world examples reveal both exposure and impact of weather-related disruptions.

Listening to central bankers, one would think the recent bout of high inflation was merely an excusable post-pandemic forecasting error made under extreme uncertainty. But this presumes a level of central-bank independence that is simply unrealistic.

Private debt has grown in popularity as an alternative source of debt financing, with the asset class tripling in size since 2008. This self-paced, two-hour online short course equips you with the expertise to navigate private debt investment confidently across diverse market conditions.