Ashley Owen examines why CBA has been in the headlines of late for a few reasons – for re-taking the lead from BHP to be the largest ASX-listed company by market value, for being the most over-priced bank in the world, and also for having the most mysterious share price surge this year.

Is there value in private markets and how do you incorporate them into portfolios? Jonathan Ramsay (InvestSense), Steven Tang (Zenith Investment Partners), and Jason Horn (BlackRock) provide their perspectives on the role of alternatives in portfolios

The RBA is getting a lot of political heat for not cutting interest rates like many other central banks around the world. Ashley Owen analyses whether the RBA is helping or ‘smashing the economy’.

Chris West (Context Capital), Michael Frearson (Real Asset Management), Chris Lioutas (Insight Investment Consultants), and Tim Hext (Pendal Group) provide their outlook for fixed interest over the next 12 months.

To better navigate the complexities of geopolitics, investors need to anchor themselves in the big trends taking place globally. Matt Gertken (BCA Research) explains how to apply geopolitical thinking to the macro environment

Geopolitics are having a considerable impact on investment markets. Diana Mousina (AMP) and Dr Matt Gertken (BCA Research) discuss the geopolitical risks and opportunities for investors.

How necessary are real assets and private equity as a component of portfolios for retail investors, and how can they access these assets? This was one of the questions considered by Dale Holmes (Spire Capital), Robert Talevski (Activus Investment Advisors), and Tom Schubert (Drummond Capital Partners)

Mega themes – such as decarbonisation, digitalisation and transport mobility – all require heavy investment into new and existing infrastructure. Justin Lannen (Maple-Brown Abbott) discusses which investments are poised to benefit from these trends

In a macro environment of rising risk and uncertainty, Amy Xie Patrick - Pendal Groupbelieves that by being defensive, patient, but active, advisers can provide investors with the type of protection and growth they are seeking in their portfolios.

Building retirement portfolios to withstand market volatility in a fluid markets is a great challenges facing advisers and Victor Huang (Milliman) and Tim Cook (Russell Investments) discuss their approaches.

Inflation underpins every asset class. But have we seen the peak of inflation? Jay Sivapalan (Janus Henderson), Hugh Dive (Atlas Funds Management), Kieran Rooney (Evergreen Consultants), and Chamath De Silva (BetaShares) discuss the implications of inflation on portfolio construction and asset allocation.t.

"Higher inflation in future means lower nominal (headline) returns on asset classes & portfolios, and lower real (inflation-adjusted) returns. A big change from the past 30 years", says Ashley Owen

"Australia and Australians loaded up on debt in the GFC and again in Covid, but how do we stack up against other countries? The answer is probably very different to what you thought. " says Ashley Owen

The new Morningstar® Target Allocation Indexes aim to set a standard and create a clear and consistent measuring stick for multi-asset strategies

When talking about risk, it’s generally referred to in relation to volatility and the potential for capital loss. Raf Choudhury (abrdn), William Higgins (DFS Portfolio Solutions), Glen Foster (Atrium), and Victor Huang (Milliman) discuss their approach to risk and how they deal with portfolio construction in an increasingly volatile environment.

What are the benefits of illiquid assets and how do you access them? discussed by Daniel Choo (Russell Investments), Matthew Swieconek (Findex), and Ryan Synnot (Arrow Private Wealth) at the 2023 IMAP Independent Thought Conference

Should retail investors consider an allocation to illiquid investments? Michael Karagianis (JANA Investment Advisers) & John Julian (Dexus) discuss how investors can gain an exposure to these assets.

Infrastructure — both listed and unlisted — is well positioned to tap into emerging investment themes and opportunities, says Justin Lannen (Maple-Brown Abbott) and Mark Murray (Mercer).

Nick Schoenmaker (Drummond Capital Partners), Rob da Silva (da Silva Consulting), Rafio Khan (Innova Asset Management), and Nick Langley (ClearBridge Investments) discuss the opportunities available to investors with infrastructure