COVID-19 INSIGHTS: Staying Connected

Uncertainty creates opportunity for investors, but the best decisions rarely feel comfortable. In this candid interview Vince Pezzullo, Deputy Head of Equities at Perpetual Investments, sits down with Livewire’s James Marlay to share his unique insights into some of the opportunities and lessons learned from investing through COVID-19. As a value investor, it was critical to go back to first principles, react quickly and take advantage of opportunities.

Stock market levels remain quite away off recent highs despite a market rebound which has been extraordinary. Interestingly, during this period of heightened market volatility, the divergence between expensive and cheap stocks has continued to grow. Head of Equities, Paul Skamvougeras discusses where he sees opportunities.

Despite the market see-saw, Perpetual’s Nathan Hughes can see good investment opportunities and deep dives into three stocks he believes are well positioned for the eventual recovery.

Agriculture as a sector is largely uncorrelated to, and unaffected by, COVID-19. There have been other pressures, notably the severe drought on Australia’s east coast. As many companies started to feel the impact of the drought, share prices fell to levels well below our assessment of fair value.

As a fundamental investor, we look for good quality businesses which are out of favour in the short term. This can be for a myriad of reasons, one of which can be a cyclical downturn in the demand for the company’s product or service. Anthony Aboud shares where he sees current opportunities.

In this environment, Perpetual’s principles of looking for companies with a strong balance sheet, good management team and market leadership are critical.

Volatile market moves in the months ahead are on the radar. With so much up in the air, we think this is a time for careful analysis and steady allocation of money into pockets of opportunities. Read our deep dive.

For every action there is a reaction. How will unintended consequences of actions today influence our investment decisions tomorrow?

An understanding of the government’s political motivations and willingness to keep the economy on life support may highlight investment opportunities.

As we close out another week of extraordinary market volatility, for those invested in Australian equities we share some key areas of focus and how they are impacting portfolios.

Perpetuals’ Michael O’Dea, Head of Multi Asset and Matt Sherwood, Head of Investment Strategy, Multi Asset shed light on the most recent developments in financial markets, the global economy following the daily evolving Coronavirus situation. Read their insights here.

At a time when markets are increasingly volatile and the news cycle seems to bring nothing but bad tidings, we’re keeping a close eye on markets and companies to assess the impact of the changing economic landscape.

There’s so much noise. Market volatility, the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, an abundance of risk. Where there is risk however, there’s usually opportunity, even if it doesn’t seem immediately apparent.

The recent turmoil in financial markets triggered by the COVID-19 global pandemic is a significant episode of market volatility, punctuating the history of financial markets. We talk about the warning signs coming into the crisis and discuss how we have positioned our Funds as a result.

The sea of red on your screens only tells half of the story; the other half comes from value investors, and it’s not all bad news.

As part of the COVID-19 government stimulus packages, the minimum pension withdrawal requirements for account-based pensions (‘ABPs’) has been reduced. Hugh Lovibond, Senior Adviser, Perpetual Private explores what these changes mean for a retirement income and how reducing pension drawdowns could help to protect your super balance.

During downturns, it’s particularly important to conduct a financial health check – seizing the moment to revisit the synchronicity of life goals and investment strategies.

Need to find income in a cash-crunched, post-COVID world? Perpetual Private’s upcoming webinar may have the answers. It features an economic and market update and a real-life case study on the benefits of an active approach to equity investing.

Need to find income in a cash-crunched, post-COVID world? Perpetual Private’s upcoming webinar has the answers. It features an economic and market update and a real-life case study on the benefits of an active approach to equity investing.

In our latest market update, we discuss the key drivers behind an acute fall in income distributions across investment markets and explore various challenges that markets will face through until the end of the year.

The September quarter in financial markets stands out as being unremarkable; in a year of the remarkable. We explore the “what’s” and the “where’s” of the past three months and share some investment principles to help you navigate through to the end of the year.

If you’re near retirement, or recently retired, it’s important to consider sequencing risk and its effect on your super. Here are strategies you can consider to balance the need for income and protecting your super for the long term.

As a second wave of COVID-19 cases emerges in Australia and around parts of the world, investors are once again dealing with uncertainty on how they can continue to navigate the difficult investment environment and protect their wealth.

For retiree and pre-retiree investors one of the most damaging effects of COVID-19 are cuts to the company dividends they rely on to pay the bills. Stella McMullen, Senior Research Analyst, Perpetual Private looks at the scale of those cuts and how investors can adapt.

During a share market downturn, it might be tempting to sell, but a long-term strategy to stay in the market will deliver better results.

Our advice team shares some stories about staying in touch with clients, keeping fit and remaining healthy through COVID-19.

Given the significant drawdown in markets, investors in or approaching retirement should now need to review their investment portfolios to mitigate risks and preserve their nest egg.

With insurance premiums likely to increase by 20-30%p.a. over the next few years, we provide some key considerations to help plan now for a more secure financial future.

We discuss how you can protect your legacy and distribute your wealth to the people and causes closest to your heart.

Having a good solid plan in place will help ensure that investors avoid overtrading, locking-in losses and ultimately destroying the value of their investment portfolio.

Find out how the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to impact the current state of markets, economic measures and investment portfolios.

Kyle Lidbury, Head of Investment Research, Perpetual Private, provides an update on how the coronavirus continues to unfold globally and the subsequent volatility we’ve seen in markets over the March 2020 quarter.

Perpetual examines the economic and investment market consequences of coronavirus (COVID-19) and what this means for investors.

COVID-19 has had a big impact on donations for not-for-profits and their expectations for government support in the future. We look at what not-for-profits are doing with their investments and spending strategies to survive the downturn.

Three NFPs share insights on how this period of crisis has shaped the way they work and service their communities – both now and into the future.

This pandemic has shaken us all, but not equally. Two Australian organisations that support NFPs share their COVID stories, from their initial responses as the pandemic struck, to their plans and hopes for a recovery.

NFPs need to consider how they’re going to meet program needs and manage spending to endure through the COVID-19 pandemic. Perpetual Private’s Kyle Lidbury shares his investment insights.

Under the JobKeeper payment, businesses and not-for-profits significantly impacted by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak may be able to access a wage subsidy from the government to continue paying their employees. This assistance will help businesses to keep people in their jobs and provide momentum when the crisis is over.

To maintain liquidity, NFP boards need a clear picture of cashflow requirements; what can be saved or locked away for a rainy day and what can be invested. This stands true at any point in the investment cycle.

Data and analytics are big topics in the non-for-profit sector today. We explore the value of becoming more data driven and how organisations can turn their data into insight.

Find out the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on not-for-profit organisations and what it means for boards and investment governance.

Perpetual examines the Australian Federal Government’s second economic stimulus package, aimed at supporting individuals and businesses through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The Government has recently announced changes to distribution guidelines for Public and Private Ancillary Funds and Endowments. Jane Magor looks at what this means for philanthropists and at the bigger picture of giving in a time of crisis.

The COVID-19 crisis is causing pain to many different parts of our society and economy. One area particularly suffering is the community sector as volunteers and funding dry up. Perpetual has started eight main initiatives to bring much needed help.

As the response to COVID-19 unfolds, Boards of aged care facilities should look to ensure that effective governance processes - aligned with client outcomes - are in place to safeguard their operations, staff and financial matters.

Darren Wilson examines the Australian Federal Government’s extension of the JobKeeper payment stimulus measure and what this means for businesses and their employees.

Perpetual examines the Australian Federal Government’s second economic stimulus package, aimed at supporting individuals and businesses through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

There are five things that philanthropists can do to help address critical community needs that have arisen due to the coronavirus pandemic.