The Point: Professional investing in Australia with Perpetual

As AI fuels a wave of data centre investment, the industry's ability to earn and maintain community trust is becoming a critical factor in its long-term success. 

Elise McKay, analyst and portfolio manager in Pendal's Australian Equities team, explains why social license is emerging as one of the most important non-financial risks facing companies and how active investors can help ensure growth is delivered responsibly.

Here's...

In a volatile market, Amy Xie Patrick explains why income portfolios need deliberate duration, quality credit and flexibility.

In this podcast, Amy Xie Patrick, head of income strategies at Pendal, shares her perspective on how duration can still play an important role when used deliberately, and how active investors can navigate uncertain rate settings. 

She also discusses tight credit spreads, the rise of hyperscaler bonds i...

In this new podcast, Pendal head of government bond strategies Tim Hext explores how shifting interest rates, accelerating AI investment and evolving macroeconomic conditions are creating opportunities across fixed income markets.

Here are some excerpts from the podcast:

"Australia's had two great investment booms this century," says Hext.

"The first one was the mining boom, and that was huge. In fact, in terms of scale, it's bigge...

After a tough start to the year, REITs are starting to look a lot more interesting. 

Pendal portfolio manager Julia Forrest explains why valuations have improved, earnings have held up better than expected, and parts of the sector still have strong long-term support. 

With limited new supply, solid population growth and long leases underpinning rental income, she says REITs could still play a valuable role in diversified ...

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 active management across yield curve...

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 full podcast to learn how the AI op...

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 of the Middle Eastern issues were to...

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 seen since 2011, presenting compel...

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 bonds – what's available, how...

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 economy is and how investors should ...

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 the next six to nine months based on ...

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 market volumes compared to a histo...

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 short podcast.

It can take years to und...

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.

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Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strategies at pend.al/fixedinterest

Pendal is a global asset ...

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 expected to end the year around 2....

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 labour market which has not yet been...

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 trade – or some version of free ...

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.

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Find out more about Pendal's fixed income strateg...

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 latest podcast, Pendal&rs...