While equity markets remain on edge over the outlook for global inflation and more recently the Russia Ukraine situation, the robust global earnings picture continues to provide a degree of underlying support to the equity market outlook.

The higher inflation narrative caught up with global markets in January this year. We look at some of the ways investors can position for the prospect of higher inflation (and interest rates) and examine some of the inflation beneficiaries.

Our quarterly managed funds report outlines the pathway best-suited to deliver on our current asset allocation strategy.

Following results updates from all four major banks this month, we outline our case for why investors should be market weight the major banks and share the three core issues we believe investors will focus on over the next 6-12 months.

Off the back of the RBA’s release of its Quarterly Statement of Monetary Policy, we share our domestic economic outlook, speaking to the inflation and interest rate outlook and the implications for asset markets.

Despite a rising oil price environment, the performance of Australian energy stocks has been disappointing. We see an opportunity for the Australian energy sector to see a significant rerating by adopting a capital allocation strategy more akin to what the global oil majors have done.

While January saw the largest equity correction since the dramatic March 2020 COVID sell-off we explore our view that the recent pullback is more likely to be an overdue correction than the front end of a bear market. We unpack the signposts we use for assessing corrections versus bear markets.

February reporting season will have everything to talk about but little to show in terms of earnings growth, with the Omicron variant casting a shadow on the near-term earnings recovery. And while there is a lot of noise around the still lingering impacts of COVID-19, we remain optimistic that Australian earnings can still grow in 2022.