The Cost of Covid: The Long-Term Impact on Markets and Economies

"Whatever it takes”—three words uttered by the former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi at the peak of the 2012 sovereign debt crisis became the catchcry of global central banks. Eight years on, in the shadow of the covid-19 pandemic, the mantra has been resurrected. Central banks and government came to the rescue in March, injecting billions into the economies to prop up business and save jobs. But as we begin to reawaken, how severe will the hangover be and how long will it last? AMP Capital senior economist Diana Mousina assesses the economic legacy of covid-19 and its long-term impact on global markets.

 

Covid and the Rise of the Retail Investor: Will It All End In Tears?

Friends swapping stock tips on Facebook, investing advice around the barbecue, cab drivers summarising the day's financial news. 2020 has been a new dawn for retail investors. After decades of being marginalised by the financial services industry, investors from across the age and wealth spectrum seized the covid downturn as a chance to jump into the market, picking up discounted blue chips, ETFs and betting on speculative stocks – and making handsome returns. Meanwhile, a host of new trading products capitalising on the moment have lowered the bar of entry for small investors, a trend fanned by social media. But some fear this style of investing could be the harbinger of a fatal stage in markets as popularity peaks. Will this new breed of investor transform the market for the better, or will it all end in tears? nabtrade's Gemma Dale explores.

 

Promises and Pitfalls of Investing Offshore with ETFs

Investors can make strong and logical arguments for investing overseas. Australia represents a relatively small part of the global economy and our market's lack of sector diversity persists. We can all name household names listed offshore that we've missed out on. Home bias is a tough habit to break, but Australia's exchange-traded fund (ETF) market has opened the door investing offshore, making overseas exposure accessible via the local exchange. But investing offshore also throws up many questions. How much of my equity portfolio should I allocate offshore? How should I think about currency risk? Should I invest across broad markets or seek out countries and sectors? Morningstar senior analyst, manager research, Matt Wilkinson seeks answers to these questions with help from Vanguard's Balaji Gopal, BetaShare's Peter Harper and Morningstar's Brad Bugg.

 

Property: It's All About Location, Location and.... Strategy

The pandemic ravaged the earnings of property companies in 2020, but Charter Hall was relatively unscathed. Charter Hall’s managing director and group chief executive David Harrison will discuss property market insights from the front lines, and explore why Charter Hall’s investment strategy worked well, and what may be in store for property in future. David will also answer questions from Morningstar Equity Analyst Alex Prineas, and field audience questions.

 

Additional Lunch and Learn Session

Doug Morris and Mark LaMonica will demonstrate how you can use Morningstar Premium and Sharesight to support you during your investing journey. They will cover the resources and tools that can be used to help you align your portfolio with your goals, rebalance your portfolio, track your investments and invest in a tax efficient manner.

 

My 10 Biggest Investment Management Lessons

After almost 40 years inside the world of managing investments and selecting fund managers, Chris Cuffe summarises his experiences into 10 quick lessons. His observations are not the traditional cliches about past performance and management styles, but what really works when selecting investments. 

 

Australian Equities: The Valuation Conundrum

As 2020 dawned, no-one foresaw the extent of the health crisis that would rock the world. But after one of the sharpest sell-offs in history, few would have predicted the scale and speed of the equity market recovery. Growth stocks have led the way, spurred by co-ordinated and unconventional fiscal and monetary policy action, while value stocks have continued to languish in relative terms. With no clear resolution to the health crisis in sight, a deep global recession and ballooning government debt, our panel discusses the risk and reward trade off currently facing investors in Australian equities, and how to value stocks in the current environment. Featuring Investors Mutual's Anton Tagliaferro, Fidelity International's Kate Howitt; moderated by Morningstar Australasia's Michael Malseed.

 

Being an Engaged Investor in the Time of Covid-19

2020—the year everything changed. Environmental destruction, social upheaval and now a global pandemic has forced Australian investors to be hyper vigilant, keeping a watchful eye on balance sheets, company strategy and a wave of capital raisings – some of which exclude or disadvantage retail investors. Shareholders also have an important role to play demanding transparency and holding boards to account, forcing companies to take issues like inappropriate behaviour, diversity and climate change seriously as social and environmental issues come to the forefront. Australian Shareholders Association chief executive John Cowling presents what it means to be an engaged investor in 2020.

 

US Election and Your Portfolio

Four more sleeps to the US 2020 election. A progressive bet or Trump 2.0? Expert in global investing Hamish Douglass weighs in at what's at stake in the most important poll of our lives.

 

Unscrambling the 2020 Omelette

The year 2020 will go down in history as one of the most intriguing global financial markets have endured. What does the road out look like? How does Australia fare should US and China tensions rise? Morningstar's Peter Warnes explains.

 

Buy Now Pay Later—Fad or Future?: In Conversation with Zip's Larry Diamond

Are we just at the start of a payment's revolution, or witnessing the beginning of the end? This question has plagued Aussie investors as they watch bullet-proof buy now, pay later outfits rally to new highs. BNPL companies seem to be rewriting the rules, and millennials can't get enough. But they're not out of the woods yet. Morningstar's Emma Rapaport sits down with Larry Diamond, the co-founder of local success story Zip Co, to talk US expansion, the competitive landscape and the death of the credit card.

 

Investing Until You’re 100

At any point in time, the future looks uncertain. While the range of outcomes under COVID-19 is more extreme than usual, the outlook is always unclear. Rather than speculate about markets, it’s better to stay the course with a diversified portfolio based on your attitude to risk. Author Noel Whittaker talks with Firstlinks' Graham Hand.

 

Morningstar's Best Equity Ideas for 2020 and Beyond

Covid market selloff a gross overreaction". That was the message Morningstar equity analysts broadcast to the world as global markets entered their fastest bear market on record. Did they have a crystal ball? No. Just good old-fashioned analysis backed by years of experience. Analysts hunkered down during August reporting season, poring over financial statements, commentary and presentations in search of the first signs of recovery. Join them as they reveal the investment opportunities they've unearthed for 2020 and beyond. With Morningstar equity analysts Grant Slade, Gareth James, Brian Han, Adam Fleck.