Commercial property returns under threat

Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMP Capital Introduction Over the last 10 and 20 years, returns from Australian unlisted commercial property have averaged 9% pa. This in part reflected the search for decent income bearing investments by investors in response to falling interest rates & bond yields that pushed … Read more

The 2023-24 Budget

– return to surplus with fastest improvement since end of WW2, cost of living help but structural deficits remain (albeit smaller) Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMPDiana Mousina – Deputy Chief Economist, AMP Introduction This Budget yet again benefits from a huge revenue windfall allowing a surplus this year … Read more

Australian home prices – here we go again!

Prices look to have bottomed as the supply shortfall dominates, but watch rates and unemployment Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMP Capital Introduction Yet again the Australian residential property market is surprising with its resilience and defying forecasts for sharp falls. After falling 9.1% from their high in April … Read more

RBA Review

– it’s not clear the proposed reforms will lead to a better outcome for the Australian economy Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMP Capital Introduction The unveiling of the independent Review of the RBA – “An RBA fit the future” – has received much attention with talk of a … Read more

Investment outlook Q&A

– Inflation, interest rates, recession, the US debt ceiling, geopolitics, house prices and other issues Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMP Capital Introduction Investment markets continue to be buffeted by multiple uncertainties, but so far returns this year have been okay as shares have climbed the “wall of worry”. … Read more

Have Australian home prices bottomed? Probably not.

Dr Shane Oliver – Head of Investment Strategy and Chief Economist, AMP Capital Introduction From their high in April to their low last month national average home prices have fallen 9.1% making it their biggest fall in CoreLogic records going back to 1980. Capital city average prices were down 9.7% which is their second biggest … Read more

Super contribution rules when you’re in your 60s and 70s

Know your options around making contributions, accessing your super savings and when Age Pension entitlements could be affected. Whether you’re still working, or you’ve already retired, rules around super contributions, accessing super and things like Age Pension eligibility do ramp up once you hit your 60s and 70s. There have also been a lot of … Read more

Getting the age pension (and your Seniors Card)

You’re nearly there. After a lifetime of toil – of digging, building, thinking, manufacturing, planting, helping and nurturing – it’s time for you to enjoy your Golden Years. If you’re an Australian resident, you’re entitled to an age pension and a Seniors Card. Here’s what you need to do next. Age Pension Eligibility To claim … Read more

The pros and cons of being a sophisticated investor

Many Australians now technically qualify to be certified as a sophisticated investor, but what are the benefits and risks? Sophisticated is a word that can have a wide range of connotations. In the subjective sense it may be used to describe people considered to be well educated, knowledgeable and experienced. But there is an entirely … Read more