Tuesday, May 21, 2024

Ashley Owen

I have had the privilege of living through, participating in, and learning first-hand from, the best and worst of financial markets over the past 40 years, including:

  • the early 1980s recession (as a lender refinancing the fallout from the late 1970s property boom) (Citibank)

 

  • the 1980s bank deregulation - building financial models & systems for finance company & merchant bank (Midland Bank, now HSBC)

 

  • the mid-1980s take-over boom – adviser and co-principal/founder in 4 IPOs, plus VC investments

 

  • the 1987 crash and early 1990s recession - buying & restructuring companies, realizing distressed assets

 

  • the 1990s bank crisis, recovery, and boom – running several divisions and national functions in ANZ

 

  • the late 1990s 'dot-com' boom - co-founder/CEO of one of the few surviving IPOs, sold to a global group

 

  • the 2001-2 tech wreck - adviser in restructures, business sales, corporate finance/funding

 

  • the post-2000 China/mining boom - as early-stage investor in several mining companies

 

  • the 'GFC' - guiding investors through asset allocation, portfolio construction - retail investors to family offices

 

  • the post-GFC turmoil (QE, sovereign debt crisis, Covid, inflation/rate hikes) as Chief Investment Officer of two leading boutique advisory groups (Centric Wealth, then Stanford Brown), guiding investors and advisers via portfolio construction, risk management, asset allocation, and client communications.

 

These experiences - plus degrees in law, economic history, finance, and a CFA charter along the way - have enabled me to develop a unique, multi-disciplinary, multi-dimensional view of financial markets, booms & busts, crashes & rebounds - what drives them, and how to navigate them, from macro vision to micro execution as a hands-on practitioner, investor, adviser, and portfolio manager.

Financial markets, boom & bust cycles have always been driven by the same old basic human instincts - fear & greed, the tendency to lurch from over-optimism to over-pessimism and back, the fear of missing out, the tendency to follow the herd, and fear of being different. While these are constants throughout history, it is fascinating to watch how humans have always managed to come up with new and different things to be the subject of booms and busts - new and different ways to make and lose money. Bring on the next cycle!


Formal Qualifications

 

  • Securities Institute of Australia (FINSIA, now Financial Services Institute of Australasia) -
    RG146 Accredited - Tier 1 (Securities)

 

  • Securities Institute of Australia (FINSIA, now Financial Services Institute of Australasia) -
    Grad Dip, Applied Finance & Investment

 

 

 

 

Current Roles:

 

  • Firstlinks Co-founder & Regular Contributor (2013- )
    Co-founder of Australia's leading investment and superannuation newsletter
    and website for industry professionals and investors.

 

  • Third Link Investment Managers Pty Ltd – Director, RM (2010- )
    This compoany manages the Third Link Growth Fund - a leading Australian shares 'fund-of-funds' that donates all management fees to Australian charities. This top-perforing fund is still open for investment. I receive no direct or indirect financial or non-financial benefits from my involvement in the company. 

 

Former Roles

  • Stanford Brown - Chief Investment Officer (2016-2023)
    Responsible for managing over $2 billion AUM in multi-asset class portfolios
    and discretionary accounts at a privately-owned advice practice.

 

  • Philo Capital Advisers Pty Ltd - Co-founder & Joint CEO (2011-2016)
    Specialises in investment portfolio construction & management, multi-asset
    class asset allocation, and global macro strategies.

 

  • Centric Wealth - Chairman, Asset Allocation & Portfolio Construction
    Committee (2009-2014) Non-institutionally-owned high net worth advisory
    group - $4b AUM in multi-asset class portfolios, discretionary accounts

 

  • Investing 101 Pty Ltd – Founder/Director (2006-2011)
    Financial consulting - research, analysis, insights - publications - Conference
    speaking on financial markets & investing. Wrote 3 books on personal finance
    (under 'Ashley Ormond') including on best-seller lists + translation for foreign sales

 

  • Tribeca Learning (1999-2001) - Co-Founder, CEO for ASX IPO, major
    shareholder. Leading financial training company in Australia - sold to Kaplan
    Education (Washington Post, Berkshire Hathaway)

 

  • ANZ - Division Head, Chief Manager (1989-1999)
    Various roles running a number of national departments & divisions -
    including:
      • Snr Mgr Strategic Planning & Economics, Group HQ (strategy for Retail
        division head, incl M&A, acquisition of NMRB Bank, Town & Country
        Building Society, strategic shareholdings)
      • CFO (Chief Mgr Finance & Planning) of Retail Bank, Australia (chaired
        retail bank pricing committee, head of accounting & finance)
      • Chief Manager of country branch network
      • Head of national Customer Service Standards unit, group marketing
      • Head of branch sales & marketing for national financial planning network
      • Head of ANZ Direct (direct marketing of home loans, finance investment &
        insurance)

 

  • Mount Street Securities Ltd - Director/shareholder (1986-1990)
    Corporate advisory, corporate finance, M&A, VC investments, 4xIPOs as co-principal.

 

  • Midland Finance (HSBC) - Melbourne/Sydney (1984-1986)
    Regional Lending Mgr Vic/Tas, Financial Controller, Vic/Tas, Information
    Centre, Australia - developing financial modelling systems for Finance Co,
    Investment Bank

 

  • Citibank, Melbourne – Lending Manager (1983-5)

Lending manager for region - asset-based lending to small-medium
businesses, credit analysis, credit sign-off

 

  • Westpac Bank – Graduate (1983) - all I really learned was to get out of Westpac!

 

Please subscribe to my Newsletter, connect on LinkedIn, or follow me on Twitter X 

‘For many years, Ashley has been my go-to source of information and analysis on what’s going on in financial markets and why.’

“Ashley has an encyclopaedic knowledge of the markets – I call him Mr Google!”

Noel Whittaker, AM – Australia’s best-known personal finance writer, columnist, and media commentator for the past three decades. He has written more than 20 books on personal finance, his columns appear in almost every major Australian newspaper, and he appears regularly on radio and TV as an expert on finance and investing. Noel Whittaker AM

 

“Ashley’s unique fact-based analyses and insights into Australian and global markets are always worth reading. He has an incredibly deep and comprehensive store of financial markets data.”

Chris Cuffe, AO – One of Australia’s best known and most experienced investment managers – former CEO of industry giants Colonial First State, then Challenger Financial; founder and Chair of Australian Philanthropic Services, and Third Link Growth Fund; current/former chair, director and/or investment committee member of numerous funds including UniSuper, Argo Investments, Hearts and Minds Investments, Paul Ramsay Foundation, and many others. Read more.

 

“What sets Ashley Owen’s analysis apart from investment banks and the financial press is his deep fact-based understanding of long-term financial data, rather than getting caught up on the daily noise over issues that may generate trades or sell newspapers today, but will be irrelevant and misleading two years from now.” 

Hugh Dive, CFA. Chief Investment Officer, Atlas Funds Management, and frequent expert commentator quoted in the AFR.

“Over the past 20 years, Ashley has been an invaluable assistance to me, as a reliable source of unbelievably strong and interesting data, and many good investment ideas.”

"The depth and quality of Ashley’s research and analysis of investment markets is the best in the business.”

Dr Don Stammer - Australia’s most respected economic writer, commentator, and speaker for the past 40 years, with a distinguished career including the Reserve Bank of Australia, Chief Economist at Deutsche Bank Australia for 21 years, chair of nine ASX companies, plus numerous non-listed and not-for-profit boards. Read more

Contact us

  • ashley.owen@owenanalytics.com.au

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The information contained in this document relates to historical, factual events and returns, and contains general commentary and observations about financial markets, asset classes, and asset allocation. This document, or any part thereof, does not, and is not intended to, constitute investment advice, or financial advice, or financial product advice, in any jurisdiction in which it is published, re-published or read. It does not recommend, encourage, or influence readers to buy, hold, sell, or deal in any financial product or security. Where securities of financial products are mentioned, it is purely for the purposes of illustration, context, and/or education, and not intended to influence anyone to buy, hold, sell, or deal in it. The information is current when written. All reasonable measures are taken to ensure its accuracy at the time of publication, but the author accepts no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions. This document is only provided to, and intended for, holders of Australian Financial Services Licences. It should not be used or relied upon by any person or entity other than a duly licenced AFSL holder, or authorised representative thereof. The author receives no benefit, financial or otherwise, from any product provider, or product issuer, or any other firm involved directly or indirectly in the provision or services in or to financial markets or industries, whether mentioned in the report or not. Any opinions expressed by the author are his alone, and are intended for the purposes of education.