Welcome to the Shareswatch.com.au Blog! One of Australia’s premier stock market blogs and free sources of independent sources of stock market and investing views and analysis
What is the purpose of the Shareswatch Blog?
Generally speaking, much of the business and stock market coverage in the Australian media is at best, fairly average. If you read the business news section of one newspaper for example, then you are unlikely to get a very much different view of the issues by reading the business news section of another newspaper.
Much of the stock market reporting is based on ASX company announcements and these can easily accessed (free of charge) from the ASX website . Many websites also merely regurgitate the contents of these announcements to try and convey the impression they have reporting breaking news.
In addition finance journalists often make incorrect assumptions simply because they do not have any business or management experience, in other words they simply do not understand how companies really operate and they make many incorrect observations and assumptions.
This blog is aimed at providing readers and/or investors with an alternative view of economic and stock market related issues. Although we focus mainly on Australian stock market and economy the fact is that the nature of the global economy today means that there is little that happens in the Australian economy that is not influenced in some way by global events.
In addition, many Australian companies are truly global entities such as BHP Billiton, Brambles, James Hardie and Amcor anyway. Therefore we discuss global trade and economic issues as well with a special emphasis on Japan.
It is important to remember that everyone who writes about investing has an “angle”. Some people or companies are trying to sell investment products or online website subscriptions, others are trying to drive up website traffic so they can attract more advertising revenue and other groups are out to promote certain asset classes like property or gold etc. But nobody will provide you a refund if your stock portfolio or investment portfolio crashes so tread carefully and do your own research.
This site (shareswatch.com.au) hopes to generate some revenue from advertisers but we do not sell investment products, investment advice or online subscriptions etc. If you shop online using this site or visit our sponsor’s websites then that will be appreciated, however feel free to navigate past the banner advertisements and just get the information you need. If you are interested in supporting this site via placing a banner ad then please contact us.
Finally we would like to stress that nothing in this blog or on the shareswatch site is intended to suggest to readers that they should “buy”, “hold” or “sell” any stock, nor should any reader make any decisions based solely on the contents of this blog. If you are serious about investing then do you own research and read widely. (Please also read our Disclaimer)
Remember we do not sell financial products, we are not financial advisors and we are not trying to promote any particular investment or ASX listed stock, ETF or asset class. So please seek professional advice if you require assistance in making investment decisions or putting together an investment portfolio.
For some ideas on how to avoid costly investment mistakes please read our Investment Tips.
Comment Moderation Policy
In simple terms comments posted on the site that are offensive will be removed. In addition comments that look like sales pitches or attempts to pump up a stock price will also be removed.
Also remember that this is not the place to settle personal scores or launch abuse at people. If you disagree with something then address the issue in a calm and reasonable manner.
Is this site really free?
Yes. There is no charge to register for this site of to access any of the articles.
Contact Details
If you wish to provide feedback on the site or suggestions for improvement . then use our contact form below or send an e-mail to: editor@shareswatch.com.au
The Blog Editor
Greg Atkinson is the editor and main contributor to this stock market blog. Greg’s articles also appear on a number of other stock market and investment related websites.
Greg is also the founder and Managing Director of Ohori Capital Pty Ltd. (www.ohoricapital.com) and has headed the company since 2006.
Before forming Ohori Capital he spent approximately 10 years in the telecommunications industry, where he held senior management roles in areas such as network operations, project management and marketing for a number of major multinational companies in Australia and Japan.
Prior to this he served 10 years in the Royal Australian Navy in electronics engineering and undertook his initial technical training as an apprentice at the now decommissioned HMAS Nirimba. During his time in the navy he served on the destroyer escorts HMAS Derwent and HMAS Stuart as well as a number of shore establishments.
He has been an active investor since the late 1990’s starting with an investment property and then branching out into stocks. After having been bruised during the market slowdown between 2001 – 2003 he began to develop an approach to investing that would not necessarily make millions overnight, but would provided good annual returns even in bear markets.
At present he works and lives in Fukuoka, Japan. He first ventured to Japan in 1997 and has spent most of the time since then living in Japan. Living outside Australia means that Greg is able to provide a view of the Australian economy and stock market that is different to commentators based in Australia. In addition being based in Japan gives him a good insight into the world’s second largest economy and that of the other major Asian economies as well.
He holds an MBA, a B.Sc in Electrical Engineering and is a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. (MAICD).
