As 2020 draws to a close, the finance world is awash with market commentators making bold predictions for the year ahead. For what it’s worth, here’s mine: I think 2021 could see a surge in asset prices driven by the rollout of a COVID-19 vaccine, loose money supply and pent-up consumer demand.

With 2020 almost now behind us, I thought it was worthwhile looking at the year that was. It’s safe to say this year is unlikely to be forgotten for everyone, and not just those invested in equity markets.

A new report by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has found that, as a whole, Australians are paying too much interest on their mortgages. How much too much? Well, according to a conservative estimate, as a nation we are likely paying at least $10 billion per year more than we need to.

Surging commodity prices and a deep infrastructure pipeline support a positive medium-term outlook for contractors, a sector which has broadly lagged the market recovery. Here, we share our preferred businesses – we favour players with strong management teams, scaled business with ability to take market share as the cycle strengthens.