Investing
METAL FATIGUE
Gold has flunked the crisis test
David Potts I like gold as much as you but unfortunately, most of the time it can't be trusted as an investment.
STYLE
It's all in the bag
Stephen Crafti From the clutch to the tote, to the ubiquitous backpack, designer bags are one of the first items to sell out in store and online.
HOT STOCK
Boral set to cement its position
Brian Han Industry-wide gloom is masking what is a strong cyclical play with a healthy balance sheet.
Local bourse will suffer if US defaults
JOHN COLLETT The picture is a worrying one for Australian investors if the impasse with the US debt ceiling is not resolved by the Thursday deadline.
UNDER THE RADAR
A good investment, but has business grown too fast?
Richard Hemming Shares in iProperty have doubled in value in the past three months but some insiders say it's gone too far, too fast.
GETTING STARTED
Go on, get involved - AGMs can be fun
David Potts The remuneration report is enticing shareholders to show up for the free entertainment of watching executives squirm.
THE 'HONEST' BROKER
What does money mean to you?
Marcus Padley Money is an amazing motivator; it causes us to do astonishing things. But does it make us happy?
THE CHARTIST
The bond that ties
Rod Myer The US Quantative Easing program has been so big it has changed the normal relationship between shares and bonds.
HOT STOCK
Litigation proves an asset for IMF (Australia)
Greg Smith Law suit funder offers a unique investment opportunity and with stock trading at about eight times consensus earnings-per-share estimates it's a bargain too.
INTELLIGENT INVESTOR
The dark art of short selling
Nathan Bell Whatever you think of the morality, shorting stocks is a dangerous game with potentially unlimited losses.
INTELLIGENT INVESTOR
Preparation and diversification the key to good investing
Richard Livingston Investing is a long game. You need to stay the course and ignore the predictions.
UNDER THE RADAR
Sales down, stocks up: the retail conundrum
Richard Hemming Investors can expect to see the big stores' share prices keep climbing, at least in the short term.
QUIRKY INVESTMENTS
Check your vinyl and you could find a small fortune
James Cockington Rare vinyl is now a big business and some Australian records are becoming speculative investments.
THE CHARTIST
Elliott theory suggests downward ride
Rod Myer Technical analysis, in the shape of Elliott wave theory, shows that the future direction of the dollar is downwards.
SUPER
Not a time for tax losses and capital gain
John Collett Property investors making losses on their properties must be crossing their fingers that house prices keep rising.
HOT STOCK
Property base solid
Brian Han Integrated real estate group Mirvac has investors excited about its focused strategy
INSIGHT
Property investors hogging first-home market
Clancy Yeates What's more risky about a property boom based on investors?
THE CHARTIST
After GFC left Brits in pieces, take a look at sterling
Rod Myer Britain has been hard hit by the global financial crisis and its aftermath, and that reality has shown itself in the trajectory of its currency.
QUIRKY INVESTMENTS
Construct your own portfolio
James Cockington Collectors are paying top dollar for old sets of Meccano - the toy which allowed junior engineers to bolt together their own planes, trains and cars.
INTELLIGENT INVESTOR
Gauging real value of a company is no easy task
Nathan Bell Probably the simplest valuation tool in the investor's tool kit is the price-to-book ratio.
UNDER THE RADAR
From scrap heap to a goldmine
Richard Hemming If you'd have got into Bolnisi Gold a decade ago you'd be sitting on a small fortune. Other small miners could be headed in the same direction.
THE 'HONEST' BROKER
Oligopolies as safe as money in the banks
Marcus Padley There are the banks. Then there's the rest of the market. If you're trying to grow your money, start with the banks.
HOT STOCK
The future is looking golden
Greg Smith SIlver Lake Resources has cut its cost and could be a low-risk entry point to the gold sector.
INVESTING
Big barbs, small print
John Collett The advertising of 'capital-protected' products has been corrected.
INSIGHT
Asset allocation can be the decider in super funds
Clancy Yeates There's a lot to consider when picking a super fund. Perhaps the most important factor is how your money is spread out.
QUIRKY INVESTMENTS
Buyers not sold on Australian art
James Cockington Lukewarm market for Australian art could heat up thanks to a major London exhibition.
