BlackRock outlines ETF plans for Australia
Actively managed ETFs are one of the things that are off the table for BlackRock’s Australian business at least for now, according to the newly-appointed iShares head Christian Obrist. Obrist spoke to Financial Standard about the opportunities that BlackRock sees in advisers, institutionals and managed accounts. “We are not going to go down that track [of actively managed ETFs] at the moment because of the single market-maker model and we strongly advocate for a multiple market-maker model where your ETFs are put into a competition to trade,” Obrist says. “If you have a product that is in a single market-maker model and the market starts to tank, you have one […]
The crypto world is going wild for ‘stablecoins’ — here’s everything you need to know about them
The latest innovation in the fast-moving world of cryptocurrencies is the “stablecoin” – cryptocurrencies pegged to real-world assets such as the dollar or gold. A report from crypto wallet provider Blockchain released this week found that “the number of active stablecoin projects has dramatically increased over the past 12-18 months and more than a dozen project teams have stated they plan to launch in the coming weeks/months.” There are now over 50 in development globally. Here’s everything you need to know about the hottest new area of crypto: What is a stablecoin? “Stablecoins” are cryptocurrencies whose prices are linked to a real-world asset. In theory, they could be linked to […]
Bitcoin Price: Is blockchain cryptocurrency still the future?
It’s highly volatile, can be extremely risky, and is something most have heard of but don’t know much about. And after a horror 12 months which saw Bitcoin plunge by more than 60 percent most investors who were bold enough to invest are now wondering if they will ever reap any reward from their investments. While nothing in economics is certain, those who trade and invest are fairly confident it will happen but not straight away. According to Fred Schebesta, Co-Founder of Finder-backed cryptocurrency financial services company HiveEx.com, crypto is basically digital gold and like the real thing, is more of a long-term investment. Mr Schebesta admits the high risk […]
Xero backs itself with $413m convertible notes
Cloud-based accounting company Xero has backed itself to continue growing strongly, raising $US300 million ($413 million) in five-year convertible notes with an exercise price 70 per cent above its share price on Thursday. Capital raising via the issue of convertible notes is relatively commonplace among US technology companies – NASDAQ-listed Atlassian raised $US850 million this way in April – however Xero chief executive Steve Vamos said it was “groundbreaking” for an Australasian company. “If we think we’ve got strong growth potential in the future, we don’t want to issue stock at current prices and dilute our shareholders,” Xero chief financial officer Sankar Narayan said. “We were well placed to raise in […]
Home owners willing to accept bitcoin for property despite volatility
Despite a sharp fall in bitcoin prices over the past eight months, some bullish investors are still willing to accept the cryptocurrency instead of Australian dollars for the sale of their multimillion-dollar homes. One bitcoin is currently trading at $US6448, down from its peak in December 2017 of $19,535.70.Now with one bitcoin worth $A8786, a prime piece of real estate in Sydney’s inner-city has hit the market with the option to buy in the cryptocurrency. It is a risky move given a property deal is yet to be struck in Australia using bitcoin, despite several properties being offered for sale last year with vendors willing to accept payment in that […]
OnMarket celebrates significant milestone: 100 transactions in 1,000 days
Digital investing platform OnMarket BookBuilds has recently completed their 100th transaction. OnMarket launched its B2C platform in October 2015, approximately 1,000 days ago. OnMarket, which is now approaching 50,000 members, provides retail investors with access to over one third of all IPOs on the ASX. OnMarket also offers equity crowdfunding after being granted an equity crowdfunding licence by ASIC in January this year, enabling its members access to innovative early stage and growth stage companies. OnMarket has raised over $65.7 million across the 100 transactions it has successfully completed. OnMarket CEO Ben Bucknell stated “Never before have Australians had access to investing into early stage companies and IPO companies like […]
When ‘it’ happens, SocietyOne urges us not to reach for the credit card
Australia’s pioneering and leading marketplace lender, SocietyOne, has launched an integrated marketing campaign to capitalize on the fast-approaching holiday season, where demand for consumer credit typically jumps with increased expenditure on festivities and gifts. The campaign, entitled “When ‘it’ happens”, highlights how even positive situations can put financial strain on even the most savvy Australians. It tells the story of ‘regular guy’, Dave, who is financially in control until a series of unexpected events blows his budget out of the water. SocietyOne saves the day by rewarding Dave’s good credit rating with a low-rate personal loan, saving him from resorting to a credit card – which can often become a […]
Are Exchange-Traded Fund flows creating the mother of all opportunities?
A common excuse given by fee-charging active fund managers that have battled to beat their benchmarks has been the ever-rising popularity of exchange-traded funds. ETFs effectively allow investors to track an index – anything from the S&P 500 to obesity-related stocks – by simply buying a listed security tacking the index or a basket of stocks. The global market has grown from 580 products totalling $US728 billion of assets to more than 5000 funds with more than $US5.6 trillion of assets. But some have argued that this created multibillion-dollar flows of brainless money simply buying and selling stocks based on predetermined rules rather than any thoughtful analysis. This, it has […]
