The five most-traded stocks of 2021
The five most-traded stocks of 2021, 2 degrees to save a cool $369 million, and 44% of us shun cash
Here are five things you may have missed this week.
Travel and BNPL dominate 2021's most-traded stocks
Trading platform Superhero has revealed the most traded stocks in 2021 across its 150,000-strong customer base.
The top five most traded Aussie companies for the year to November 30, 2021, were:
- Zip Co
- Flight Centre Travel Group
- Fortescue
- Qantas
- Afterpay
The most-traded Australian exchange traded fund was BetaShares NASDAQ 100 ETF.
Superhero CEO and co-founder, John Winters says, "There was a clear trend that our customers invested in the brands they interacted with regularly."
Cut 2 degrees off your air con to save
Chilling out can be expensive. A Finder survey shows close to 7 out of 10 of us rely on air con to escape the summer heat, and the extra power consumption can ramp up our collective electricity bills by $1.5 billion.
The ACCC says the cost of power is the lowest in eight years. But we're still throwing money out the window when it comes to keeping our homes comfortable - over one in ten households admit to leaving their air con on when they're not at home.
Mariam Gabaji, energy expert at Finder, says, cranking your air con thermostat to 24 degrees, up from 22 degrees, could slash $369 million off the nation's combined summer power bill. Sounds like a cool idea!
Aussies go digital for everyday purchases
Digital wallets are fast becoming the norm. Just under half of all Aussies use digital wallets at least sometimes, while 21% use them always or most of the time.
That's according to a survey by Choosi which found one in three digital devotees have no plan to return to cash.
The trouble is, digital wallets make buying easy. Four in five users admit they're more likely to make impulse buys with their digital wallet.
No one is expecting a return to notes and coins any time soon - and the folding stuff had been on the wane long before the pandemic.
However, with the 2021-22 Mid-Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook showing household consumption has increased at its fastest pace in more than two decades, it does pay to remember that no matter how you pay, the cost comes out of your pocket at some stage.
APRA turns up the heat on super funds
While most of us are winding down for the festive season, the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) is dialling up the pressure on super funds.
APRA has just released its latest 'Choice Heatmap', which compares fund results against APRA's benchmarks of investment returns and fees. Unlike earlier reviews of MySuper products, APRA focused on fund products where members choose where they want their super invested.
APRA's analysis found 60% of investment options delivered returns below the benchmarks over seven years. One in four options delivered "significantly poor" returns.
APRA added that the fees and costs of choice products are considerably higher than for MySuper products without delivering any obvious benefit to members.
For some fund managers, this latest APRA survey could be the Grinch that stole Christmas. Among the poor performers were investments options managed by industry giants including AMP, IOOF and Aware Super.
APRA Executive Board Member Margaret Cole said, "Although there have been benefits generated for (super fund) members from industry consolidation and reductions in fees in recent years, these heatmaps show there remains considerable room for improvement."
A not-so-festive season for three out of 10 Australians
For growing numbers of Australians, the festive season is less about good cheer and more about financial survival.
The Salvation Army found that in 2020, 76% of Australians were looking forward to Christmas. This year that figure is down 68%.
Research by The Salvos shows one in three of us are worried about how we'll pay for Christmas. Over one in four are stressing about how they'll afford gifts for family and friends, and more than one in ten of us will go into debt paying for the festive season.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly increased the percentage of Australians feeling huge pressure about their finances," says Major Bruce Harmer, the Salvation Army's National Public Relations Secretary.
As always, the Salvos are lending a hand.
"We don't want anyone to struggle in silence this Christmas, and want to stress that there is no shame in reaching out for support," says Major Harmer.
In what is the traditional time of giving, donations can be made to the Salvation Army's Christmas Appeal by calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58) or head to the Salvation Army website. Donations of $2 or more can be claimed on tax.
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