SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK) this week released a trading update that contained some disappointing news.  SEEK’s learning division has not performed as well as hoped in the second half of 2015, and SEEK now expects the second half of 2015 Net Profit After Tax to be broadly in line with the first half of 2015 – some 10 per cent short of what was implied by broker consensus.

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by Tim Kelley Posted in Insightful Insights.

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Australian banks have had a good run this week, apparently on the back of some comments made by Warren Buffett in a media briefing relating to Berkshire Hathaway’s investment in Insurance Australia Group (ASX: IAG). Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Financial Services, Insightful Insights, Investing Education.

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Alert readers will recall that back in June 2014 we started an exercise to explore the merits of using machine learning technology to sift through the equity markets and identify stocks that are likely to do well or poorly in the future. The most recent instalment in the series can be found here. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Insightful Insights.

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When asked for an opinion about where equity markets might be headed, it is common practice for expert commentators to start with some insightful comments on the economy. This is a natural place to start, as the economy is big and important, and some insightful comments can quickly establish that the commentator is as similarly big and important. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Economics, Insightful Insights.

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Interesting to see the comments this week from ASIC chairman Greg Medcraft in relation to house prices, and the swift rebuttal from the Housing Industry Association (HIA).  For those who came in late, the HIA position seems to be that there is currently no cause for alarm, although we could be in shaky territory in 12 months’ time if recent growth rates continue.  ASIC, which presumably has no vested interest in continuing strong house prices, seems to be concerned that we may already be in bubble territory.

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by Tim Kelley Posted in Insightful Insights, Property.

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Chorus Limited (CNU) was created in 2001 when Telecom NZ split into two parts – Chorus, which owns the fixed network, and Spark, which owns the retail business and the mobile network. Telecom NZ was the first incumbent telco in the world to volunteer for such a structural separation, and in doing so positioned Chorus to participate in the build of the ultrafast broadband project (UFB) – NZ’s version of the NBN. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Insightful Insights.

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Here’s a chart you may find interesting. It shows how the consensus broker forecast for BHP Billiton Limited (ASX: BHP) 2015 Earnings Per Share (EPS) has evolved over the last number of years, together with the BHP share price during that time. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Companies, Insightful Insights.

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The New York Stock Exchange has recently released data on margin lending through to March 2015. What it shows is margin lending at a new all-time high – above the levels seen at the height of the tech boom and prior to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). As you might expect, the data shows that margin lending tends to be popular when markets are hot. The build up of debt when equities are expensive no doubt exacerbates the pain of a subsequent market downturn. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Economics, Insightful Insights.

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Many investors find a place in their portfolios for gold. It has the attraction of being tangible and difficult for governments to print. Continue…

by Tim Kelley Posted in Financial Services, Foreign Currency, Insightful Insights.

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