Dividends from the Australian sharemarket are being impacted by companies needing to preserve capital in the uncertain COVID environment. The major banks, in particular, are deferring and reducing dividends under guidance from the regulator, APRA.

In this podcast we speak with financials analyst Nick Caley to get the latest on the outlook for the Australian banks and their ability to pay dividends to shareholders.

We also speak with analyst Supun Wijerathna on the listed investment company (LIC) sector, which potentially offers an alternative for investors seeking income. LICs have the ability to smooth dividends to shareholders in volatile periods given their structure.

We encourage clients to keep in touch with their EL&C Baillieu adviser for the latest updates.

Disclosure: E.L. & C. Baillieu Limited analyst Nicolas Burgess owns shares in WAM Leaders (WLE).

EL&C Baillieu Chief Investment Officer Malcolm Wood gives an update on the outlook for the economy and investment markets.

Tune in to hear Mal discuss the progress of Australia’s V-shaped economic recovery, what stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne mean for the recovery, the latest on the US reporting season and his preferred asset allocation at this time.

We encourage clients to keep in touch with their EL&C Baillieu adviser for the latest updates.

We take a detailed look at EL&C Baillieu’s Multi-Asset Portfolios with Chief Investment Officer Malcolm Wood and Head of Investments and Advice Stephen Godfrey. The discussion includes:

• The importance and benefits of asset allocation;

• Key features of the EL&C Baillieu Multi-Asset Portfolios;

• The investment process across strategic asset allocation, tactical asset allocaion and security selection;

• The outlook for the Australian market in a global context; and

• The performance of the portfolios.

For more information on the Multi-Asset Portfolios, please contact your EL&C Baillieu adviser.

EL&C Baillieu Chief Investment Officer Malcolm Wood gives an update on the outlook for the economy and investment markets.

Tune in to hear Mal discuss the progress of Australia’s V-shaped economic recovery, the potential for a decoupling between the Australian and US markets, and the prospect of an economic cliff when stimulus is withdrawn.

Cloud computing is a global megatrend that is being led by technology giants Microsoft, Amazon and Google in a market that is growing at 30% per annum. But what does this mean for Australian companies?

Gary Rollo, Portfolio Manager at Montgomery Investment Management, joins the EL&C Baillieu podcast to explain cloud computing and the investment opportunities it presents, including:

• What the cloud is and why companies are migrating to it;

• The size of the addressable market and the potential duration of this megatrend;

• How the cloud lowers barriers to entry for small companies and what this means for innovation; and

• Key stock picks that play to the cloud theme – NextDC (NXT), Megaport (MP1), and Bigtincan (BTH).

Tune in to hear Gary discuss how the cloud is a significant enabler of growth for Australian small companies.

The Australian automotive sector was one of the hardest hit during the depths of the COVID-19 crisis. But with lockdown easing and traffic returning, the outlook is improving.

Oscar Oberg, Portfolio Manager at Wilson Asset Management, joins the EL&C Baillieu podcast to discuss his positive view on the automotive sector, including:

• Why the average age of Australian vehicles is getting older and why this is a positive for aspects of the sector;

• How domestic tourism could also provide a boost; and

• Key stock picks AMA Group (AMA), Bapcor (BAP), Carsales.com (CAR) and Tourism Holdings (THL.NZ) – what they do and why he likes them.

Also tune in to hear Oscar explain why Wilson Asset Management are constructive on the outlook for the Australian equity market.

Chris Wheldon, Portfolio Manager at Magellan, joins the EL&C Baillieu podcast in a wide-ranging discussion on the global economy and the outlook for markets.

Tune in to hear Chris explain:

• Magellan’s view on the shape of the global economic recovery post the COVID-19 pandemic;

• How Magellan portfolios have changed in response to the crisis;

• The role of technology in a post-COVID economy;

• How China is performing relative to other economies; and

• How the pandemic is impacting key technology stocks such as Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba and Tencent.

The COVID-19 pandemic is likely to be a catalyst for the adoption of technology across the economy, in our view. Unfortunately, the S&P/ASX 200 Index is significantly underweight the technology sector compared to many other markets around the world.

In that context, we believe investors should look at alternatives to gain exposure to technology. In this podcast, we discuss a number of options, including:

• The new S&P/ASX All Technology Index;

• Technology-themed exchanged traded funds (ETFs);

• Listed Investment Companies; and

• Managed funds.

We also speak with BetaShares on their range of ETFs, including ATEC which follows the S&P/ASX All Technology Index.

EL&C Baillieu analyst Nick Caley discusses Australia’s major banks post the recent reporting season, including:

• The state of sector growth;

• Revenue trends;

• Bad debt and provisioning levels given the COVID-19 crisis;

• Stock preferences at this time; and

• An update on Macquarie Group.

We encourage clients to keep in touch with their EL&C Baillieu adviser for the latest updates.

EL&C Baillieu Chief Investment Officer Malcolm Wood gives an update on the outlook for the economy and investment markets amid the COVID-19 crisis.

Tune in to hear Mal discuss how Australia is shaping up in a global context, the prospect of a V-shaped recovery, current expectations for unemployment and key stocks with exposure to an Australian restart.