While the "noise" about farming is that it's hard, risky and drought ridden, Research House AAG says the perception that our farmers are struggling is wrong. The top performers in Agribusiness are quietly getting on with the job and so don't provide "good copy" for the press. Australia lags the world in realising the opportunities in this sector, agribusiness research house AAG contends...

So you accept that your clients should have an exposure to Asia - but should that be a standalone allocation, or is it best to leave the allocation to Asia to an international equity fund managers?

Everyone knows the Australian share market is overweight financial and resource stocks, and underweight technology, health care and energy stocks, compared to the world share markets. Given our home country bias, Australian advisers need to plan and manage sector allocation as well as country allocation. Here's a tool which may help...

Delegate feedback from our second annual conference - THE Investment Conference 2003 on 18/19 August 2003 in Sydney - was very, very positive. And with 50 investment experts presenting during 30 sessions over the two days, it was in the words on one delegate "no junket". Critical Issues Forum presentations can be accessed via this article...

What should your asset allocation models look like going forward? Is strategic and tactical asset allocation past its "use by" date? Proponents of different asset allocation approaches argued their merits and weaknesses at THE Investment Conference 2003 (18/19 August 2003)...

This was the standout, most popular session of THE Investment Conference 2003 presented by PC Forum on 18/19 August 2003, earning a stunning 4.7 out of 5.0 average rating across all delegates. As our day 2 opening keynote, independent strategist Jonathan Pain looked at investment theory, its history, its relevance and what current valuation models imply for future returns. He argued we need to radically alter the way we construct portfolios, if we are to build portfolios that are in our client's best interests - and then walked us through what this means for the conventional asset management model...

Most of us hear "property" and think "listed". At THE Investment Conference 2003 (18/19 August 2003), we devoted a session to challenging this assumption. Is listed property really an asset class? What diversification does it provide in a portfolio? And if it's so great, why don't researchers and fund managers allocate more to it? Fund managers have begun going offshore for property - what benefits does that bring to a portfolio?...

Always amongst the top three most popular sessions at THE Investment Conference 2003 (18/19 August 2003), the researchers and asset consultants show what they've got up their sleeves for the next year, presenting their asset class models - that is, the securities they've blended together in each asset class...

The diversification effect of fixed income in a portfolio has increased quite dramatically in the past three years, explained Greg Cooper, Director of Schroder Investment Management Australia at last week's Portfolio Construction Forum Researchers' Roundtable. Here are full minutes (notes plus slides) of Greg's presentation...

Nothing like a "slap in the face" from reality to send people back to basics. According to some, abandoning traditional asset allocation is the answer. So how important is asset allocation? Research shows it explains 40 per cent, 90 per cent AND 100 per cent of fund performance.

Fund research house ASSIRT recommends overweighting Aussie equities in 2003.

The big issues facing trustees this year will be asset allocation and equity market performance. Investor Weekly's Rebecca Hewett reports.