Hi there!
This week we have our ASX workbook, Carl goes hunting for the most-consistent ETFs and Marcus Padley discusses his playbook for when markets rebound.
Enjoy the Easter long weekend.
The most consistent ASX ETFs for growth and income in 2026
Most ETF tables point investors to the highest returns. That’s useful, but incomplete. This study takes a different approach - focusing on consistency, not just performance, using the Sortino Ratio to assess how returns are delivered.
The results challenge a few common assumptions. Some of the usual leaders remain, but not always for the reasons investors might expect. Others look far less compelling once the path of returns is taken into account.
For investors, the takeaway isn’t about chasing the top of the table, it’s about understanding what sits beneath it, and whether the ride aligns with your tolerance for risk.
Marcus Padley’s plan for the next big rebound
In 2025, one of the most controversial interviews published on Livewire was Marcus Padley’s decision to go 100% cash in October. “The world has gone mad … the stock market has become a dangerous place and the rise of gold is not fabulous, it’s ominous,” he said. That wire racked up 50,000+ views and nearly 100 comments, with plenty critical of the call.
But given what’s happened to markets since, it’s fair to say Padley has been vindicated. Still, he isn’t buying just yet, even though markets are down and there's no waiting in line anymore at ABC Bullion in Martin Place. So the burning questions are: what signal is he waiting for, and what’s on his buy list?
Meet Rob: From losing half his super, to double-digit returns
Rob’s first three years of investing cost him roughly half of his super. He followed a friend's advice, overexposed himself to speculative mining stocks, and caught a market downturn at the worst possible time. Those losses shaped everything that came after.
Now 15 years into managing his own self-managed super fund, Rob runs a concentrated portfolio of ASX-listed stocks with a target of double-digit annual returns and a research routine that he treats as rigorously as a full-time desk job. In this instalment of Meet the Investor, Rob shares the stock-specific rules he’s set for himself – regardless of what’s happening in the world.
