Furniture and appliance retailers, like JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, are enjoying their best trading conditions in a decade, buoyed by low interest rates and a renovation boom.  Alas, these sunny conditions won’t last.  And there’s more for the retailers to worry about than rising interest rates putting a clamp on demand.  There’s also the small matter of Amazon setting up ‘down under’. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Consumer discretionary.

• 8 Comments
• save this article
• 8
• POSTED IN Consumer discretionary.

by Roger Montgomery's Team Posted in Old Content.

• Enter your password to view comments.
• save this article
• Enter your password to view comments.
• POSTED IN Old Content.

IDP Education (ASX:IEL) is a provider of international student placement and English language testing services. It also owns English language schools in South East Asia and organises educational events and conferences. IDP’s strong result for the six months to December 2016 saw a spike in its share price, and confirmed our faith in this high quality business. Continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Companies.

• 3 Comments
• save this article
• 3
• POSTED IN Companies.

These days, most investors looking beyond our shores are focused on the US. But the situation in Europe is also worth watching closely, particularly in Italy – the world’s eighth biggest economy – which appears to be in dire straits. Continue…

by Scott Shuttleworth Posted in Global markets.

• 1 Comments
• save this article
• 1
• POSTED IN Global markets.

When the Chinese government recently tightened capital controls to further reduce capital outflows, it sent a message to the world that all is not right with its currency. According to some analysts, China’s problems are big enough to seriously rattle global markets. For investors, it’s therefore time to check your portfolios for direct and indirect exposure to China and China-exposed businesses and industries.

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Global markets.

• 10 Comments
• save this article
• 10
• POSTED IN Global markets.

If Trump is crafting a name for himself for anything beyond that for which his reputation already precedes him, it is the complete rejection of dogma.  He is literally turning established orthodoxy on its head and it looks like a letter written just over a week ago by U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry, who serves on the House Financial Services Committee, to Fed Chair Janet Yellen may even turn Australian banks on their heads, emptying them of all their franking credits and returning much more capital back to shareholders. Continue…

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Financial Services.

• 4 Comments
• save this article
• 4
• POSTED IN Financial Services.

In this interview with Ross Greenwood, Roger Montgomery discusses the threats to Australian retailers.

by Roger Montgomery Posted in Radio.

• LISTEN
• save this article
• POSTED IN Radio.

If you want to find more signs of stress in the Australian economy, then look no further than the recent result of Genworth (GMA:ASX), our largest mortgage insurer. In its announcement, GMA noted rising delinquencies, moderating economic conditions, and increasing underemployment. The result also signals that bad debt provisions may be a headwind for banks in FY18. Continue…

by Stuart Jackson Posted in Companies.

• save this article
• POSTED IN Companies.