The Point: Professional investing in Australia with Perpetual

Cash and short-duration assets are playing an increasingly important role in diversified portfolios.  With inflation still above target and policy settings remaining tight, Pendal head of cash strategies Steve Campbell explains how cash can offer liquidity, capital preservation and a more attractive income profile than in previous years.  In this video podcast, Steve also discusses how a...

The common belief is that if investors want to gain exposure to the AI thematic they have to look offshore, but Elise McKay, a portfolio manager in Pendal's Australian equities team, debunks that myth in her latest podcast interview. Elise discusses the five layers of the AI stack, the opportunities on the ASX and a new emerging category offering potential in the AI landscape.  Listen to the...

In this new podcast, Amy Xie Patrick, head of income strategies at Pendal, unpacks how geopolitical tensions, sticky inflation and higher oil prices are reshaping bond markets.  She explains why inflation expectations — rather than growth fears — are driving yields higher, and why investors need to be selective as credit spreads fail to fully reflect downside risks. "Even if all o...

Heightened geopolitical risks and rising oil prices have re-ignited inflation concerns, creating uncertainty for central banks and markets. Pendal head of government bond strategies Tim Hext explains why second round inflation effects matter more than petrol prices themselves, and why the RBA faces a difficult balancing act on rates. Despite the volatility, government bond yields are at levels not...

More and more social bonds are issued in Australia each year, yet demand is still surpassing availability. Social bonds are fixed-income securities with proceeds allocated to defined social outcomes such as social and affordable housing, specialist disability accommodation and education access. In this podcast, Pendal sustainable finance and impact investing director Murray Ackman explains social...

As 2026 gears up, the economic outlook in Australia, the US and around the globe is far from clear. There is talk of K-shaped economies, interest rates rising in some economies and falling in others, and the ever-present geopolitical challenges. In this podcast, Amy Xie Patrick, head of income strategies at Pendal, explains why Liberation Day tariffs didn't play out as predicted, what a K-shaped e...

With rate cuts looking like they are coming to the end of the cycle, Pendal's head of government bond strategies Tim Hext provides his insights on the outlook for 2026. "It is an unclear picture, but definitely the global rate cutting cycle - which was a feature of late 2024 and most of this year - is now over," explains Tim.  He says rate cuts in Australia are highly unlikely at least for th...

What’s driving the rotation in equities around the globe at the moment? Pendal portfolio manager Elise McKay points to the evolving flow of money. “The rise of passive, the rise of systematic trading have contributed to an increase of volatility in our market," Elise explains in our latest podcast. “During the extreme market moves we saw last week, ETFs were accounting for 38% of...

As tariff news has died down, markets have come flying back in the last few months. “But we do have a world now where the US tariff rate on average is around 18%,” observes Pendal’s head of government bonds Tim Hext. “That is not a world we have seen for almost 100 years, not since World War II." It’s an environment made for active investors, says Tim in this new shor...

After two days of talks in London, China and the US last week agreed in principle to de-escalate trade tensions. How that plays out is unclear. But in this new podcast, Pendal’s head of income strategies Amy Xie Patrick explains the outlook for the world's two biggest economies and what it means for investors. --//-- Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strategies at pend.al/fixedintere...

Australia is in a surprisingly good position to weather the Trump administration’s trade policies, says Pendal’s head of government bonds TIM HEXT in this fast podcast “We have reasons to be optimistic down here, albeit it's not going to be quite as good as it could have been," says Tim. “We're going to get very close to all our long-term aspirations this year. Inflation is...

Fixed-income investors looking for lower yields – and therefore higher prices on their bond investments – may be disappointed with the recent cycle. But investors need not be concerned, since conditions still favour a rate-cutting environment, says Amy Xie Patrick, who leads Pendal’s fixed-income strategies. Underlying inflation is under control – supported by a looser US l...

Investors could not be blamed for feeling a bit queasy at Donald Trump’s whiplash approach to tariffs. What does it mean for inflation and markets? “The tariff threat does add to this argument that inflation isn't about to come down anytime soon,” says Pendal’s head of bond strategies Tim Hext. “The market is right to be a little bit concerned. Obviously free tra...

One of the surprises of 2024 was the absence of rate cuts in Australia. What happened and how long will the Reserve Bank sit on its hands? Pendal’s head of income strategies AMY XI PATRICK explains in this review of 2024 and outlook for 2025. This is our final podcast for 2024. We wish our listeners a happy and safe Christmas and new year. We will return in 2025. --//-- Find out more about P...

For years, Australian investors flocked to bank hybrid securities as a cornerstone of income-generating portfolios. Hybrids — debt instruments issued by banks that can convert to equity in times of trouble — have been popular with everyday investors due to their accessibility. But investors will soon need to find alternatives, after regulators announced plans to phase them out from 2027. In her la...

This week’s Aussie inflation data was a mixed bag. While the headline number dropped into the RBA’s target range at 2.8%, the trimmed measure remained above target at 3.5%. It will take a few more quarters until the more important trimmed measure heads down towards 3%, says Pendal’s head of government bonds Tim Hext in a new fast podcast. Tim doesn’t expect a rates move before the RBA’s February m...

Pendal’s head of income strategies AMY XIE PATRICK explains the latest market volatility, rates outlook and why she believes investors should be thinking about their defensive allocation. --//-- Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strategies at pend.al/fixedinterest Pendal is a global asset manager. Find out more at pendalgroup.com --//-- This podcast is for general information purposes only...

August is a live meeting in terms of potential rate changes – and next week’s CPI figures will be key to the decision, says Pendal's head of bond strategies Tim Hext in this fast podcast. A higher-than-expected CPI number could prompt a hike. A lower-than-expected number would likely mean rates stay where they are. However, if an August rate hike eventuates, investors should largely ignore it, Tim...

Investors have been getting used to good news on inflation. But does the latest US data suggest we’re getting ahead of ourselves? In this new fast podcast Pendal’s head of bond strategies TIM HEXT reviews the evidence and explains why he still thinks there's juice left in bonds. --//-- Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strategies at pend.al/fixedinterest Pendal is a global asset manager. F...

Reckon you’ve got 2024 figure out? Stay on your toes, because markets could go in any direction this year, says Pendal’s head of income strategies AMY XIE PATRICK in our latest podcast. In this edition Amy explains the risks that investors may not be considering and how she is preparing her income portfolios. --//-- Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strategies at pend.al/fixedinterest Pend...

Have investors missed the boat on bonds after they touched 5% in October? No, says Pendal’s head of bond strategies Tim Hext. In this latest Pendal fast podcast he explains why. "When I look across the spectrum of what you can buy in bonds, government bonds are around 4.5%, state government bonds 5.25% and bank debt around 6%. "On term deposits, my question to investors would be: Okay, let's assum...

US and local bond yields are hitting multi-year highs. Why is it happening and what’s next? Resilience in the US economy is the main factor, says Pendal’s head of bond strategies Tim Hext. That’s due to the dominance of fixed-rate loans there and Joe Biden's big-spending government. Meanwhile the Australian economy is holding up better than expected and the fixed-rate cliff hasn’t impacted as much...

China’s political and economic outlook has a huge impact on Australian investors. In this new podcast, Pendal’s head of income strategies AMY XIE PATRICK explains the latest. An excerpt: Why doesn’t Beijing pump stimulus into the Chinese economy as other countries do? “We have to remember that the Chinese political system is not a democratic system, and its principles are very socialist at heart,”...

You’re probably thinking “so far, so good” on rate rises and the economy. No evidence yet of a sharp slow-down and fixed mortgage holders seem to be adjusting ok to higher rates, partly due to strong employment. But we're only halfway through the six-month fixed-rate cliff period, points out Pendal’s head of government bond strategies TIM HEXT in this latest fast podcast. “It's definitely too earl...

The Albanese government is getting ready to launch Australia’s first sovereign green bonds, which are designed to fund public net-zero projects. As with all new green bond issuances, investors will be looking to make a good return and a positive impact. When it comes to positive impact, investors should be looking “additionality” in the projects funded by Albo's green bonds, say Pendal’s head of c...