The panellists gave their take on the current US earning season and what to look out for.

Companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange have accounted for over 100% of US earnings growth since 2022. While this earnings growth is expected to slow, consensus is still for levels near 20% to persist into the future. If these numbers are achieved, the Nasdaq 100 will likely remain the preeminent global index for investor returns. Read more here.

Falling inflation, global rate cuts, and a soft-landing narrative created rotation away from the Mag 7 in July. Earnings breadth is expected to improve, with the S&P 500 Equal Weight index providing good diversification against any further big tech weakness. Read more here.

Outside of the US, two other global equity markets that have been talking points all year are Japan and India. They were covered in some detail by the panel.

Corporate reform has ushered in a new era of corporate governance in Japan benefitting investors through record dividends, buybacks, and earnings growth. The Bank of Japan (BoJ) and currency also plays a really important role for investors in Japan.

India has taken China’s mantle as the world’s growth engine on the back of demographic tailwinds and Modi’s reform agenda. While Indian equity valuations look comparatively expensive to other emerging markets, they are arguably justified by the strong profitability and growth of Indian companies. Read more here.

The panel discussed their thoughts on the Australian equity market and our approach to ‘smart beta’ investing in Australia. In particular:

• How to apply a quality investing approach to such a cyclical market: Read more here.
• Why a more dynamic approach to value might be a better long-term investment: Read more here.

Beyond just economic and market commentary, the panel discussed how we are using ETFs to add value to an investor’s portfolios through their efficient structure.

Learn more about the benefits of Betashares’ approach to currency hedging that can make a material difference to after tax returns here.

All Betashares Australian fixed income ETFs pay distributions monthly, and these distributions take into consideration the prevailing yields of the bonds held within the ETF. The same cannot be said about all other fixed income ETFs in Australia. Reach out if you’d like to find out more.

Most recently we launched a new and unique moderately geared suite of funds that extend beyond traditional asset class building blocks and can act as solutions for different types of investors. Find out more about how they can be put to work in superfunds here and for young accumulators here.

In closing, the panel members reiterated the case for particular funds that they felt were worthy of investors’ consideration.