This morning on ABC Newcastle Mornings with Paul Turton, I discussed how markets respond to geopolitical shocks and why investors should keep their focus on underlying fundamentals. While conflicts can cause short-term volatility, history shows markets often recover as investors anticipate recovery spending and economic growth.

Beyond the headlines, markets are still grappling with elevated valuations, the potential disruption from artificial intelligence, and weaker economic signals such as the recent US jobs report. I also noted that prolonged conflict could lift the cost of oil, fertiliser, plastics and energy, which can flow through to higher prices across the broader economy. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary, Radio.

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How to maximise your savings with higher-yield funds with competitive returns and risk.

Looking to make your money work harder this year? Whether you’re looking to fund a better lifestyle, build your nest egg or simply grow some savings, you may want to read this article.

For many retirees – and particularly people who may be navigating their finances independently for the first time – the stock market can feel less like an ‘opportunity’, and more like a rollercoaster you never asked to board. When you are at a stage in life where preserving what you’ve built is as important as growing it, the daily ups and downs of the stock market can keep anyone awake at night.

The traditional “safe” bets, like term deposits, often fail to keep pace with the lifestyle you’ve worked so hard to earn. So, where do you turn when you want the yield of a high-performer but the stability of a fortress? Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Insightful Insights, Investing Education, Popular.

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Yesterday afternoon I joined Jess Maguire on ABC Statewide Drive to discuss how the conflict in the Middle East is affecting global markets. While headlines have focused on oil and petrol prices, we also discussed the potential impact on industries such as airlines, tourism and energy-intensive manufacturing. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Radio.

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If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve seen the script: The Middle East is a tinderbox, the Strait of Hormuz is a “no-go” zone, and $120 oil is an inevitability according to JP Morgan.

But if you look at the facts and the data, the story falls apart.

Despite the headlines, oil is struggling to hold its gains. Why? Because the “New World Order” of energy isn’t being built in Tehran or Riyadh. It’s being built in North and South Americas and the “war” we’re watching looks more like a managed liquidation of the old guard than a global catastrophe. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Energy / Resources, Market commentary.

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I’ve been spending some time today looking through Terry Moran’s latest piece on President Trump’s approach to the escalating conflict in Iran. Moran’s take – that the President is essentially “winging it” – is a sobering read for any disciplined investor.

According to Moran, when you look at the transcripts from the President’s recent flurry of interviews with the New York Times, ABC News, The Atlantic, Fox News, and MS Now, you don’t see a cohesive strategy. You see a series of contradictory “exits.” One minute it’s a popular uprising, the next it’s a negotiated settlement, and the next it’s “we’ll see what happens.” Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets, Market commentary.

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For decades, Australian and global investors seeking income have depended on a traditional “Core” fixed income allocation for their portfolios, mainly consisting of government-related debt and investment-grade corporate bonds. The result is the conventional 60/40 portfolio – a widely accepted blend of equities and fixed income (bonds).

Structural changes in liquidity, regulation, and market dominance, however, are occurring rapidly and may reduce the effectiveness of these old benchmarks. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Aura Group, Insightful Insights, Investing Education.

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Today on Ausbiz with Juliette Saly, I discussed the growing hype around humanoid robots. While many companies promise household robots within a decade, leading roboticist Rodney Brooks believes major technical hurdles remain before they can perform meaningful work in homes or industry. 

We explored the limitations of bipedal design, the extraordinary dexterity of the human hand, and the safety challenges robots face when interacting with people. For investors, it is a reminder that technological excitement often runs ahead of reality, and markets can price in adoption long before the technology is ready. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Technology & Telecommunications, TV Appearances.

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If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, you’ve seen them: sleek, metallic bipeds performing backflips in China, dancing to Motown, or gingerly stacking the dishwasher or placing a singular box on a shelf. The robotics hype cycle suggests that in four years’ time (2030), a robot will be folding your laundry and helping your nanna out of bed.

Despite billions of dollars invested, however, they remain science experiments confronting daunting technical challenges. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Market commentary, Technology & Telecommunications.

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