Macquarie Securities has released its annual ESG Ratings Survey, confirming that ASX-listed companies with high ESG scores are outperformers. Since Macquarie started giving companies ESG ratings in 2011, high-scoring companies have outperformed low-scoring companies, with a relative outperformance of 4.2…
IPO watch: MoneyMe to pursue US expansion
Online consumer lender MoneyMe plans to use the funds raised in its initial public offer to increase its marketing spend, invest in product innovation and expand into new markets. The company says it is testing the US market. MoneyMe Ltd…
Westpac shareholders must make a couple of important calls
In the wake of the Westpac money laundering scandal, investors have some decisions to make. They are being given the choice of opting out of a share purchase plan and they may want to vote on the company’s remuneration report…
Time to avoid overvalued companies
For equity investors who worry about the prospect of dislocation in the Australian sharemarket in the year ahead, asset manager Aaron Binsted shares your concern. And he has a few suggestions. Binsted is an Australian equity portfolio manager at Lazard…
What price Prospa now?
The chair and joint chief executives of small business lender Prospa were contrite at the company’s annual general meeting last week, offering apologies for the company’s failure to meet prospectus forecasts. Now, the questions for investors are when the company…
Picking the brains of leading SMSF investors
Self-managed super fund trustees tend to have a very stable approach to Australian equity investment. They like the big stocks, especially the ones that pay high dividends, and they like to hold them long term. Online broker SelfWealth has launched…
How to find an ethical bank
Following news of Westpac’s failure to manage risks associated with the processing of cross-border payments, consumers are once again asking where they can find an ethical bank. The two best sources for consumer guidance are the Responsible Investment Association Australasia…
Portfolio diversification: swap bonds for real assets
Real assets, such as commercial real estate and infrastructure, are taking on greater importance as safe haven assets. Investment manager JP Morgan Asset Management has issued the latest edition of its annual publication, Long-term Capital Market Assumptions, forecasting that global…