The Portfolio Construction Podcast

For some, emerging markets remain one of the most mispriced asset classes globally, providing ample opportunities for outperformance, but it is important to properly evaluate the risks before investing. In this episode of the Portfolio Construction podcast, Paul O’Connor, Head of Investment at Netwealth interviews Ross Cameron, Portfolio Manager, Emerging Markets at Northcape Capital, they discuss emerging markets and which ones have his attention this year and why, and those he’s avoiding in 2024.

In 2023, investors saw strong returns in equity, fixed interest, and cash markets. The question for 2024 is whether these strong returns will continue. In this episode of the Portfolio Construction podcast, Paul O’Connor, Head of Investment at Netwealth, interviews David Bassanese, Chief Economist at Betashares, about his economic view on the Australian dollar, equity and emerging markets, interest rates, and inflation. They discuss investment implications, key risks, and potential disruptions to the 2024/25 outlook, including effects on energy supply due to tensions in the Middle East, a sell-off in the bond market due to fears of the US budget deficit, and a more substantial slowing in consumer spending.

The resource sector encompasses a wide range of commodities and has received increasing attention due to the global shift towards renewable energy sources. In this episode of the Portfolio Construction podcast, Paul O’Connor, Head of Investment at Netwealth, is joined by Daniel Sullivan, Head of Global Natural Resources and Portfolio Manager at Janus Henderson Investors. They explore the vital role the global resource sector plays in our daily lives, with a focus on mining, energy, gold and agriculture. They examine the impact of various factors, including population growth and its effects on agriculture, energy transition, technological advancements that have reduced exploration risks and improved resource targeting, and geopolitical risks affecting investors.

In this episode of the Portfolio Construction podcast, Paul O’Connor, Head of Investments at Netwealth, interviews to Brett Lewthwaite, Chief Investment Officer and Global Head of Fixed Income at Macquarie Asset Management. They explore the current and future dynamics of bond markets, inflation and interest rates, and how they shape the global economic outlook and financial conditions. They also discuss the implications of these factors for monetary policy, such as quantitative easing and tightening, and how they affect the risk and return profiles of fixed income investors in today's market.

The healthcare industry is undergoing significant change due to increased demand from population growth, advancing medical services, and an ageing population, and as such healthcare real estate represents investment opportunities for some. In this podcast episode, Paul O'Connor, Head of Investments, Netwealth, interviews Andrew Hemming, the Managing Director of Centuria Healthcare. Andrew and Paul unpack the dynamics of the healthcare real estate sector in Australia including, the evolving models of care, the impact of interest rates, and its competitive nature.

In this episode, Paul O'Connor, Head of Investments at Netwealth, interviews Chi Lo, the Senior Market Strategist, APAC at BNP Paribas Asset Management. Together they unpack China’s economic outlook including its recent growth slowdown, policy stances, the global impact of China's recovery, the demographic trends challenging the country and the implications this has on investors and more.

In this podcast episode, Paul O'Connor, Head of Investment Management at Netwealth, and Amit Goel, Portfolio Manager at Fidelity International, explore the intricacies of emerging market equities. They discuss the diverse nature of emerging markets, highlighting the differences amongst countries, including varying demographic, social, and evolving economic conditions. They also discuss potentially attractive valuations and emphasise the importance of understanding businesses and effectively managing risks.

Green bonds have gained attention due to their alignment with ESG goals, making them a key consideration for environmentally and socially conscious investors. In this podcast episode, Paul O'Connor, Head of Investment Management at Netwealth and George Bishay, Head of Credit and Sustainable Strategies at Pendal Group delve into the universe of green bonds. Their discussion explores the role of green bonds in investment portfolios, their impact, market performance and their role in portfolio diversification. The conversation addresses the vital issue of greenwashing, how they ensure credibility of green bonds and the significant role they play in responsible investing.

In recent years, private markets have become more widely used and easier to access due to the rise of online platforms and increasingly sophisticated investors. In this podcast episode, Paul O'Connor, Head of Investment Management at Netwealth, and Roberto Cagnati, Chief Risk Officer at Partners Group, discuss the advantages of private markets compared to listed markets, including private equity, debt, real estate, and infrastructure. Hear how private markets can help diversify and lower volatility in portfolios, along with their unique benefits that make them an attractive investment option to some.

In this episode, Paul O'Connor, Netwealth's Head of Investment Management, interviews Don Huber, Senior Vice President, and Portfolio Manager at Franklin Templeton. Given the recent volatility in equity markets, Don provides his views, with an emphasis on growth stocks. He unpacks the impact of inflation on growth stock valuations and identifies potential opportunities for long-term investors. He provides examples of exciting companies with unique qualities and highlights what sets them apart and explains characteristics of the growth companies they invest in and why.

In this episode, Aaditya Thakur, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager at PIMCO, joins us to unpack the reasons why 2022 was such a challenging year for fixed interests and how this impacts 2023 and beyond. He explores inflation, recession risks, the implications of China reopening, as well as the positive developments in the market and what this means for fixed interests and investors constructing their portfolios.

With the end of most central bank's quantitative easing programs and the normalisation of cash rates, is now the time to buy bonds again and to increase duration positioning in portfolios? Since central banks commenced explicitly targeting inflation in the mid 1980’s, cash rates and bond yields have fallen creating an environment where fixed interest portfolios have been predominantly long bonds but now the short and long end of the yield curve is rising.  In this episode, Clive Smith, Senior Portfolio Manager at Russell Investments, joins the show to discuss what drives bond market returns. Discover why the change in bond market dynamics has created a 'double whammy' for bond investors and the key resulting factors to keep in mind when considering portfolio allocations for the remainder of 2022 and beyond.

As the world moves to net zero emissions, natural resources companies will be crucial in facilitating the production and development of renewable, and low carbon energy sources. In this episode, Tim Gerrard, Portfolio Manager at Janus Henderson, shares his investment strategy for net zero emissions and provides some examples of ‘traditional’ resource companies and the positive steps they are taking towards ESG. Tim also shares his outlook for the resource sector and how the sector is responding to recent global supply chain and geopolitical events.   

The resilience of Australia’s economy is about to be tested with strong commodity prices providing some insulation as the RBA becomes increasingly hawkish. WaveStone Capital’s Portfolio Manager Catherine Allfrey joins the show to discusses the divergent paths for resources, financials and industrials and the opportunities available to investors as the interest rate cycle normalises.

2022 has finally seen a surge in inflation across developed countries and the big question now is whether this is structural or more transitory. In this episode, we chat with Brett Lewthwaite, Senior Managing Director, Chief Investment Officer, and Global Head of Fixed Income at Macquarie Asset Management, to discuss supply shocks, the changing role of central banks and what it all means for bond markets and fixed income portfolio positioning. Macquarie Investment Management Australia Limited (ABN 55 092 552 611 AFSL 238321) the issuer and responsible entity of the Funds referred to in this podcast. This is general information only and does not take account of investment objectives, financial situation or needs of any person. It should not be relied upon in determining whether to invest in the Funds. In deciding whether to acquire or continue to hold an investment in a Fund, an investor should consider the Fund's product disclosure statement. The product disclosure statements are available on the Macquarie website at macquarieim.com/pds or by contacting Macquarie on 1800 814 523. Please review the Target Market Determination for the Fund available at macquarieim.com/TMD and consider if the Fund may be suitable for you.  This information is intended for recipients in Australia only. Other than Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 (“Macquarie Bank”), any Macquarie Group entity noted in this recording is not an authorised deposit-taking institution for the purposes of the Banking Act 1959 (Commonwealth of Australia). The obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities do not represent deposits or other liabilities of Macquarie Bank. Macquarie Bank does not guarantee or otherwise provide assurance in respect of the obligations of these other Macquarie Group entities. In addition, if this recording relates to an investment, (a) the investor is subject to investment risk including possible delays in repayment and loss of income and principal invested and (b) none of Macquarie Bank or any other Macquarie Group entity guarantees any particular rate of return on or the performance of the investment, nor do they guarantee repayment of capital in respect of the investment.  

Investor concerns about inflation and rising interest rates are likely exacerbating selloffs and volatility in certain segments of the Australian share market. In this episode, Dushko Bajic, Head of Australian Equities Growth at First Sentier Investors unpacks some of the risks ahead and shares some potential investment opportunities for investors.

The pandemic, geopolitical tensions, and international conflicts have disrupted supply chains and have led to unprecedented monetary policies, the full effects of which we are now learning to navigate. In this episode, we hear from Uwe Helmes, Investment Strategies at Blackrock, as he discusses the many nuances of inflation, BlackRock’s recently completed annual Capital Market Assumptions which looks at the expected returns across various asset classes, and the importance of asset allocation strategies when creating resilient and flexible investment portfolios.

Equity markets have had a great run over the last decade and have provided investors with very strong returns. But now risk globally has risen due to the tragedy of events unfolding in Ukraine, increased Western countries' tensions with China, and the recent spike in inflation. In this episode of the podcast, Jeff Mueller, a former US Marine, and a co-portfolio manager of the Global Growth Fund at Polen Capital, shares how a concentrated portfolio of high-quality global companies can be a risk management tool and hedge against inflation. Discover the filters and “guardrails” that all investors should consider when shaping a portfolio capable of significant growth even within inflationary and unstable environments.

In this episode, Paul is joined by Chris Smith, Portfolio Manager at Intermede Investment Partners, to discuss some of the opportunities and challenges facing global equity markets. With markets being at all-time highs, Paul and Chris address rising inflation concerns, geopolitical risks, emerging markets, ESG, and the importance of finding companies with a demonstrated sustainable competitive advantage.  

Retirees have traditionally relied on fixed interest and cash allocations in their portfolios to provide sufficient income for life. But the yield or the income return from these defensive asset classes has fallen significantly over the last decade, creating a disconnect between our understanding of income and the traditional risk/return theory. The impact of COVID 19, the global economic slowdown and increased use of extraordinary monetary policies by central banks have further reduced returns from cash and fixed interest to the point where many cash rates and ten-year bond yields in developed countries now return a 0% or even a negative yield. These policies may have supported many weakened economies but have made it even more difficult for retirees drawing income streams to fund a large portion of their income needs by the yields on cash and fixed interest allocations. In this episode, we discuss some of current strategies for generating sufficient income for life with Reece Birtles, Chief Investment Officer, Martin Currie Investment Management, and we address some of the challenges facing inflation, longevity risk and income sequencing risk.   More Information: Franklin Templeton and their specialist investment managers Martin Currie, Western Asset and Brandywine Global have a number of investments available through Super Accelerator Plus and Wealth Accelerator Plus.  Super Accelerator Plus is a superannuation fund that provides access to a wide range of investments including several Franklin Templeton funds. See how you can purchase Franklin Templeton with your super here: http://ow.ly/BsB450HcKBk Wealth Accelerator Plus is an all-in-one portfolio management and administration service with an extensive range of investment options and tax management tools. Learn more here: http://ow.ly/iSUQ50HcKCm More information on Franklin Templeton's funds, including, commentary and performance, can be found here: http://ow.ly/KCiK50HbVo4