Keeping up with hairstyle trends can be trickier than keeping up with the Kardashians. What looks good one week could recieve unfavourable looks the next, simply due to it being styled the wrong way. Medium to longer-length men’s styles – including the ubiquitous man bun – are slowly fading away from the mainstream (mullets excepted) and short hairstyles are coming back with a vengeance.Short hairstyles can include anything from fade haircuts to crew cuts to buzz cuts and a complete extended list too long for this page. Short haircuts for men also change from country to country, with the stereotype being Europeans prefer slick hairstyles with enough styling product to warrant a ‘flammable’ cautionary sticker, Americans, for their part, favour the ‘bed head, can’t be bothered’ look, and guys in Australia aim to use their hair to help further accentuate their attractiveness and cover up their lack of personality.There is one haircut that we have yet to see in full force here in Australia, and we’re calling it the ‘roadman’, in homage to British youth who can be seen wearing Nike Air Max 97s, puffer jackets from specialist outerwear brands, and small sling bags from the likes of Adidas or Lacoste to store ‘essentials’.

Spotted by a DMARGE correspondent in an Australian YouTube video advert (see above), the ‘roadman’ is a haircut that looks decidedly English and not too dissimilar to the barnet endorsed by Manchester City youngster Phil Foden (pictured top). We’re not insinuating Phil is an eshay, but he just so happens to find himself with a similar hairstyle.Appearing to combine elements of the French crop, buzz cut and elements of the Caesar cut (championed by the likes of Post Malone) into one divisive style, the ‘roadman’ isn’t one we can see being adopted by Australia’s surfing contingent anytime soon. But, perhaps they just need to see it in the flesh to change their mind.So, being the only British member of team DMARGE, I was forced offered to get my haircut to similar proportions, in the hope I can eventually convince more Australians to give it a try.Heading to my local hair salon – Mardi – I entrusted my brand new look to Carly Flint (who has previously bleached my hair, so is well aware of how bad I could potentially look). I wanted a higher fade than what I’m accustomed to, and so Carly began with a number one over the ears and worked her way up to a 2.5, before blending it with the hair on top. With that taken care of, a good inch or so was chopped off of the top, before being given some texture with some thinning scissors.I’ve always been someone who has preferred short hairstyles anyway, so going even shorter than what I’m used to – a number two mid-fade with scissors on top – wasn’t too daunting. What I didn’t expect, was just how English I looked once the cape was removed. You would immediately be able to tell where I’m from if you were to speak to me thanks to my accent, but now it’s obvious from a mile away.

 

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Regardless, I think the results speak for themselves: this is a successful haircut (especially compared to my colleague James, who once fancied himself a Chris Hemsworth wannabe, and Jamie, who tried to channel his inner Tyler Durden when adopting Brad Pitt’s Fight Club haircut).To further gauge whether this could be a haircut Australia could benefit from, I reached out to a couple of Sydney’s top barbers to find out what they think of it as a cut and if they had yet to give it to anybody Down Under.Christopher Hunter, director at Willomina in Woollahra said he “loves these cuts.”“I haven’t given this to anyone recently as we are currently doing lots of mullets. I think the man bun is on the out, to be honest.”

“But it’s always the way, haircuts start over in the UK and I’ve got no doubt we will be doing them sometime soon.”

Perhaps I could be the poster boy…Jacob Martin, founder of Tate & Lyle, mimics Christopher’s comments.“This has been quite a popular haircut for some years and seems to have peaks in popularity which I can wholly assume is due to it being worn by different celebrities.”“The sharp fade and the blunt fringe are directly inspired by the Afro Caribbean barbers who are experts in clipper cuts. First seen as a 3 or 4 grade on top with a skin fade on the sides, this cut has evolved into a version representative of the area where it has been cut.”“It continues to be popular for its low maintenance in styling, but haircuts becoming more frequent will ensure its crispness. This cut is seen in all major UK and Irish cities due to its popularity and connection with youth culture, and being gender-neutral, it is super versatile.”“Each subculture and area has its own version of this, but the current style emanates from the Manchester youth culture, seen on footballers such as [Phil] Foden and grime artist Aitch.”

“This style has won over some Austalians and we’ve seen quite a few in recent times, but it seems to be very much a UK & Irish haircut.”

If Australians really are as laidback and carefree as they come across to the rest of the world, they should love the ‘roadman’ haircut. I’m usually one for styling, but damn do I love the low maintenance factor.Now, just need to brush up on my soccer skills.

Read Next

• Ricky Martin’s Latest Look Perfectly Captures Men’s Attitude To Grooming In 2021
• I Rocked Henry Cavill’s Moustache For A Month & It Was Completely Humiliating

The post I, An English Backpacker, Am On A Mission To Make This Australia's Most Popular Haircut appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Michael B. Jordan has a habit of setting the internet ablaze. But a recent ‘smoking’ photo may just take the cake for inducing jealousy among the masses.

Whilst many spent 2020 developing their wine tasting buds more than their muscles, it appears Michael B. Jordan has taken a different tactic.

The Creed, Black Panther and Just Mercy star looks to have spent 2020 in a ‘boulder shoulder’ training camp, and is now reaping the rewards. Taking to Instagram with a cigar, a gold bracelet, satin-esque swim shorts and a set of cannonball shoulders, the 33-year-old immediately began racking up comments.

 

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“Boulder shoulders built not bought,” celebrity trainer Corey Calliet wrote.

“Cmon bro my girl is on this app,” Youtuber ‘ChadWithaJ’ wrote.

American actor Robbie Jones wrote: “Immediately moving my shoulder workout to today!”

Though Jordan did not reveal on Instagram the exact exercises he has been doing to attain such form, DMARGE has previously spoken to his trainer, Corey Calliet, to find out what it’s like to work with Hollywood’s elite – and how to get ripped fast.

One of Corey’s big-screen highlights was getting Michael B. Jordan into fighting-fit shape for his role in the Creed movies. We asked him what process he has to go through when there are strict shooting deadlines in place.

“Anytime I do a movie, I take four months before shooting starts. All I need is 12 weeks; it takes 16 weeks to transform the human body, but I can do it in 12.”

Corey puts this quick time-frame down to his expertly honed training style:

“We train with consistency and intensity. Everyday we set out to level up on the last. This type of progression day in and day out leads to powerful results.”

“I also implement strategic active rest days, which protects the body from burnout and allows it to repair and recover while continuing to move. We can more in a shorter period of time by applying all the right methods.”

 

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Calliet also offered a word of caution, explaining the task of mirroring any other human’s rig is inevitably flawed: “Celebrities aside, it’s important to first understand that every body is different before taking on any physique goal.”

That’s not to say you can’t try, but that you need to set your expectations realistically: “Not to deter you, but… Are you foundationally similar (height, body type, etc), to the physique you are trying to achieve? Are you starting from a similar point to where they started?” These are all important factors to consider.

RELATED: The Brutal Reality Of Attempting Michael B. Jordan’s Workout For 30 Days Straight

He then offered a ray of hope, saying, “If there are differences, it does not mean you can’t achieve what you’re after, it simply means you will need to be patient in getting there and be smart in your approach.” He followed this up by saying, “Make sure your nutrition plan accounts for your body type and supports the goal, and understand that you will need dedication and consistency to be successful.”

As for the best exercises, Calliet told us, “Many think this [changing your build] means doing different exercises and lifting nothing but heavy weight. Although there is truth in going heavy, you need to force the muscle to beat plateau by working beyond the burn too.” To do this Calliet recommends you choose “4-6 exercises to target a specific muscle group and keep this consistent for about 6 weeks.”

“You need to shock the muscle to make it grow.”

Specifically, these are his instructions (if you simply must look like your favourite celebrity): “Each week, vary the types of sets you do; for example, lightweight burnout, regular sets of 8-12 reps training with weight around 75% of your max, supersets, static holds for strength, tempo reps, etc. Keep the muscle guessing.” Some of Calliet’s favourite exercises are “dumbbell split squats, weighted walking lunges, barbell bent-over rows, seated shoulder press, dumbbell waiter curls, and lateral raise variations.”

Happy lifting.

Read Next:

• Chris Hemsworth’s Trainer’s Insane New Workouts Will Break You
• Fitness Coach Reveals How Muscle Memory Can Help You Get Bigger Gains

The post Michael B. Jordan Sets Bar Unfairly High In 2021 'Shoulder Workout' Stakes appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

From towering volcanoes to crashing waves, Madeira is not an exact replica of Italy’s quaint Sorrentine Peninsula. However, the Portuguese autonomous region of Madeira, which is located in the Atlantic Ocean, 978 km south of Portugal and 450 km north of the Canary Islands is becoming a highly desirable ‘Amalfi Coast Alternative’ for a certain demographic of traveller.That demographic? Digital nomads. As CNN Travel reports, Madeira is making a play to join the likes of Bali, Berlin and Lisbon as one of the world’s most attractive purveyors of wifi, coffee and a bang for buck lifestyle.

“A tiny archipelago that’s been called Europe’s answer to Hawaii might be the next big thing in remote working.”

“With many people leaving big cities right now, we wanted a village in a smaller place where people can create deeper connections than in a city,” Gonçalo Hall – a remote work consultant who is helping launch a new digital nomad community one of Madeira’s tiny villages – told CNN Travel.

 

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The pilot project opened yesterday, on February the 1st, in the red-roofed village of Ponta do Sol, where it is able to host up to 100 remote workers in a co-working space and surrounding housing.The project is a joint effort between the regional government of Madeira, StartupMadeira and Hall.Hall told 150 Sec it frustrates him that not many people know of Madeira.

“I’ve been to Bali. I’ve been to Thailand. I’ve been to all digital nomad paradises. But when I visited Madeira, I was blown away and immediately saw the potential there. It’s just stunning. It’s incredible.”

 

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“So far, about 75 digital nomads have committed to being among the first to start working in the picturesque village of about 8,200 inhabitants sandwiched into a verdant valley on Madeira’s southwest coast fronted by a pebbly beach,” CNN Travel reports.The nomads hail from a variety of countries including Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Ireland and the Czech Republic.On top of that, more than 2,000 people from places as far away as South Africa, the United States and Nigeria have registered interest too, Hall told CNN Travel. After registering their interest on the website they are then added to a Slack community where they can seek tips on everything from housing to local Covid-19 restrictions.A minimum stay of one month is required, to lend the project a community feel. Most applicants, according to Hall, intend to stay for two months.Francisco Fontes, a Madeira local who recently returned to the island when his job in the United States went remote, told CNN Travel Ponta do Sol is similar to “the villages along Italy’s Amalfi coast.”

“It’s very small. When you think of a nomadic village, it’s really that… A place you would step out and bump into the other people from the project.”

Madeira was recently crowned Europe’s Leading Island Destination 2020 at the World Travel Awards. Scrolling through the vibrant ‘Madeira’ Instagram geotag gives you a good idea why: the archipelago offers incredible hiking, surfing, a village feel and all sort of quirky crannies.

 

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As for Covid-19, various measures are in place to help contain the spread of the coronavirus.CNN Travel reports, “As with all things Covid-19, conditions are constantly shifting. On January 29, in response to the country’s dramatically intensifying Covid-19 outbreak, Portugal extended its lockdown and closed the land border with Spain. Citizens are restricted from travelling abroad for 15 days.”

“Plans to launch are going ahead and that leaves the project organizers waiting to see how things will play out: if they build it, will remote workers come?”

The early signs are positive. But only time (and the number of boutique yoga studios and hipster cafes per capita) will tell.

Read Next

• Bermuda Starts Luring Back Travellers With Offer Too Good To Refuse
• Surfing Banned At World’s Most Famous Big Wave Spot

The post Portugal Lures Travellers With Little Known 'Amalfi Coast Alternative' appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Knowing how to dress for a job interview is the final hurdle. You’ve already survived CV scrutiny and moved on to impress the HR panel – via a conference call –  with your industry knowledge and conversational charm. Now, management wants to meet you in person. And that involves a thorough assessment of whether you look as good as you talk.

Putting your best foot forward, the rise of business casual and tips on being office-cool are shifting work dress-codes from black-and-white simplicity to a blurry grey-zone. First off, interviews aren’t the stomping ground for avant-garde office style. Wisdom comes in adhering to office tradition and being on style-par (not below or above) with your potential boss.

But, we don’t recommend prehistoric dress codes be thy shining light either. Need to know how to dress for a job interview? Below are some tried and tested job interview looks to keep you in check, and ultimately, get that job.

The Banker Or Corporate Job Interview

Suits

The sharp-looking suit not only looks sophisticated, it’s the most flattering thing a man can own. We recommend a made-to-measure suit for a superior fit and finish, but if you’re strapped for time (and cash), look to an off-the-rack suit and use the following points as a checklist:

• Type – opt for a single-breasted, two-button jacket with a notch lapel and flat front trouser. Size-wise, the jacket should cut the shoulder nicely, and the sleeves should finish where the base of the thumb meets the wrist. The top jacket button should be aligned above your naval and the jacket base cutting across your butt.
• Colour – stick to navy or grey (light or charcoal). Black is traditional but could be too stuffy for a contemporary office (you want stand out, right?)
• Fabric – look to suits crafted from wool or wool-cotton blends. These are natural, matte-finished and breath well to avoid nervous sweats and tacky polyester-sheen.

Styling

• Shirt – a crisp, white button-down shirt in slim-fit design with a sharp cutaway collar is a solid choice. Light pink and blue are coloured options and a double cuff shirt with silver cuff links will add some panache to a cotton shirt.
• Tie – a neutral coloured is the safest. Opt for a knit or woven tie if you’re going tonal (a darker shade of the suit colour), and wanting a textural finish to a coloured tie. classic business stripes and checks are stylish tie patterns, keeping the colours plain.
• Pocket square – a straight fold, rolled white pocket square for the classic or knitted and muted-coloured one for something a bit more contemporary.
• Shoes – black leather Oxford or dark brown Derby shoes (classic and polished). A pair of double-monk strap shoes in brown or tan are a fresh take on the lace-up.

RELATED: The Best Shirt Brands For Men

The Creative Or Startup Job Interview

Casual Suit or Separates

A two-piece suit can look out of character in certain interview settings, particularly in more creative industries. However, suit separates – and the interchanging of jacket and pants – let’s you impress – without stifling your creative style. Here are some ideas:

• Be creative with colours, prints and textures opting for colour-blocked separates. Stick to muted tones – olive, navy, maroon, mustard (nothing primary coloured) and keep one of the separates as the anchor colour (usually the darkest or mildest colour).
• Play around with high and low pieces. If the jacket is a structured peak lapel blazer in straw yellow tweed, team it with cotton chinos in an all-over grey or khaki. A less structured jacket (on the shoulder) – and made from more drapey fabric with a slim-lapel and fit, receive a formal injection with wool pleated trousers and relaxed leg.
• Cropped trousers with lift the style edge of your pants too (just don’t go higher than one-two inches).
• Shirts can vary: a plain cotton button-down (the collar being less formal); a gingham check or butcher stripe shirt, denim chambray with mandarin collar (a subtle way of injecting texture while sticking to business blue); or a muted floral (darker colours and nothing floral).
• Ties can be left behind, replaced by a snug, fine-gauge sweater in a block colour, layered peacefully under the jacket. When wearing a tie it should be fun but tasteful in colour in print, and always darker than your shirt.
• Accessories are a must with separates: a vibrant pocket square, woven leather belt and polished loafers (instead of business lace-ups) adding a personalised touch.

Advertising Or Media Job Interview

For a sartorial statement that doesn’t compromise quality for ‘fashion’, relaxed suiting – in colour and/or fit – and smart casual pieces are the perfect option for media/arts interviews. An important tip on how to dress for a job interview, research the office dress code expectations before assuming all non-corporate agencies are lax on tradition.

Relevant ‘Creative’ Jobs

• Graphic designer
• Account Manager (Ad Agency)
• Creative Director

A Creative ‘Suit’ 

• A suit or separates in an offbeat colour (think green, maroon or sand – nothing bright), injects energy into your interview and makes a lasting impression.
• Play with deconstructed blazers in cotton or wool or even active fabric blend for a sports-inspired finish. More informal still? Replace the jacket with a bomber, still cut sharp, but far less stuffy.

Styling

• Mix and match a statement blazer with smart denim jeans and add a plain shirt to tone the look down.
• Pattern shirts inject even more panache to a coloured suit. Consider geo-prints, madras checks or soft florals shirt – sans tie. Then, add a pocket square with an on scale print to match the shirt.
• Crepe soles are a down-played take on the business shoe. Or, for the extremely low key office environment, a low-cut white leather sneaker will put some kick in your statement tailoring.

What if none of the jobs apply to you?

• A pair of black dress shoes, trousers and a clean, crisp white shirt will suffice.
• No tie is necessary if you are not wearing a jacket.
• If you wish to wear a jacket, then a suit jacket or bomber jacket will be okay.

Final Tips & Tricks

• Check out the company culture: when first deciding what to wear for a job interview research the dress code and determine if it’s corporate, semi-formal or smart casual.
• Match the man: your outfit should match or be slightly dressier than the dress code of the company, and thus, the interviewer.
• Present your best: ensure your nice-fitting clothes are clean and ironed. Shoes polished, breath fresh and hair and facial hair neatly groomed.
• Avoid brash and brazen: unless your interviewing for the circus, avoid loud prints and uncouth colourways, sticking to muted prints and colours, or simply neutrals – just to be safe.
• Accessorise intelligently: with a textured tie, silk pocket square or pebble-grain briefcase, you can inject a bit of personality into your outfit. Again, keep the patterns neat and colours dark if in doubt. You’ll have plenty of time to play around with office style, once you’ve landed the job. Good things come to those who wait.

Some things will never be acceptable in a job interview…

• A Hawaiian shirt or floral shirt… draw attention for the right reasons
• Flip flops or thongs on your feet
• Dirty or scuffed shoes.
• A black shirt with a white tie
• A novelty tie or any sort. Keep your tie plain.
• Polyester fabrics – they’re highly flammable and nasty. You’re better than that.

The post What To Wear To A Job Interview When You’re A Guy appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Joe Biden, the 46th President of the United States, is a car nut – which is not a good thing to be when you’re the ‘leader of the free world’.Presidents aren’t actually allowed to drive themselves whilst they’re in office, as it’s deemed a safety risk. Instead, they’re normally driven around in ‘the Beast’: a huge, heavily-modified Cadillac limousine. It’s perhaps the most ‘first world’ problem you could ever have – being forced to ride in a sumptuous, bulletproof limo – but there you are. Vice-Presidents aren’t allowed to drive themselves either.That must have stung for Biden, whose prize possession is a green over tan 1967 Corvette Stingray convertible. ‘Uncle Joe’ had to hang up his car keys for eight whole years whilst serving as Vice-President – so when he left office, he was champing at the bit to get behind his immaculate vintage muscle car again. Indeed, he took famous talk show host (and fellow gearhead) Jay Leno for a raucous spin in the car back in 2016 when the Secret Service finally relented, sharing with Leno how much he missed driving. “I love speed,” the then-VP sheepishly admitted.Now that he’s in the top job, he’s going to have to face at least another four years where he can’t get behind the wheel of his ‘Vette. We wonder if he regrets running…Just by looking at Biden’s Corvette, you can tell he’s the real deal. Biden is the first and only owner of the car, having originally received the drop-top as a wedding present from his father, who owned a car dealership back in the day. His sons rebuilt its 327-cubic-inch V8 as a Christmas gift in the intervening years, and as Biden’s jaunt with Leno shows, both the old car (and the old now-President) have got plenty of rubber-burning left in them.An appreciation of fine automobiles and missing being able to drive themselves are some of the few things Donald Trump and Joe Biden have in common, actually. Trump shared with reporters that he missed driving back in 2017 during his first 100 days in office – not surprising, considering what he’s got in the garage. Over the years, Trump’s driven a Ferrari F430, a Lamborghini Diablo and most recently a Rolls-Royce Phantom, Bloomberg relates.RELATED: I Was Chauffeured To Work In The Latest Rolls-Royce & It’s Ruined Me For LifeWhile he might not be able to drive, Biden’s still had cars on his mind during his first weeks in office. The Biden Administration plans to replace the US government’s fleet of cars and trucks with locally-assembled electric vehicles, CNBC reports. General Motors have also recently announced that the Corvette will go all-electric by 2035, too – which must be music to Biden’s ears.

Read Next

• Daniel Ricciardo’s New Supercar Shows Britain Makes Cooler Motors Than France
• LeBron James Shows Off Unexpectedly Eco Friendly 4×4 Truck

The post Joe Biden’s Classic Corvette Is Undrivable appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

America, you can soon say goodbye to winter and hello springtime, as the months begin to get a little bit warmer and the chance of rain ever-so-slightly decreasing. The transition of the seasons also means you can start thinking about putting your winter wardrobe away for another year – you shouldn’t need that thick, insulated winter coat anymore at least – and you can start to think about experimenting with new colours and textures to make a stylish statement.But what should your spring wardrobe comprise of? Allow us to reveal all, as we’ve put together the perfect spring capsule wardrobe that will hold you in good stead until summer rolls around. Think bomber jackets, dark denim and plenty of earthy colour tones such as khaki green and orange. Sweaters still make an appearance, but out go out the thick cable knits and in come lighter, more breathable options such as cotton and cashmere and what you’ll find with your spring wardrobe is that you need to get well acquainted with layering. You never know when the weather can change, so being able to throw on or take off a lightweight waterproof jacket, for example, will prove to others you really do know what you’re doing.Check out our guide below for 12 easy-to-wear spring menswear essentials.

The post 12 Handsome Cross-Season Menswear Essentials For Under $100 appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Dorrigo National Park is home to a Big Trickle. Actually, make that several. One has a bigger social media presence than all the rest though; Dangar Falls.Boasting 5,638 Instagram posts which use the ‘Dangar Falls’ hashtag (as well as hundreds more under the ‘Dangar Falls’ geotag), social media does a cooler job of promoting destinations like these, these days, than tourism agencies.For comparison: at the time of writing Ebor Falls, another of NSW’s most popular waterfalls, has 4,209 Instagram hashtags to its name, Wollomombi Falls has 863, Kanangra Falls has 136 and Tin Mine Falls has just 6.There is, admittedly, Carrington Falls, which has been hashtagged on Instagram 6,215 times. But Carrington Falls is in the Southern Highlands and – unlike Dangar Falls, which is ‘hinterland adjacent’ – has yet to succumb to the Byron Bay Effect.That effect? Users turning up to take photos of themselves with the falls as a backdrop, rather than turning up to take a photo of the falls itself.

 

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Anyway, I went not to judge These New Introspectives, but to join them, hoping Dangar Falls would be just what I needed to crawl out of my social media rut. My meagre ‘follower count’ in mind, I burned my collected works of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, packed my most flattering board shorts, and set off.Dangar Falls is on the east coast of Australia, a six hour drive north of Sydney (one hour south of Coffs Harbour). I drove up from Sydney, with broken air conditioning, dreaming of a cool, bubbling oasis.Upon arrival in Bellingen (other than Dorrigo itself, the closest town to Dangar Falls), I checked into my Airbnb, and then my watch. 5:30pm. With rains predicted for the next two days and ‘last light’ due at 8pm, I decided to take the plunge.

 

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I drove up the windy mountain road, feeling like I was more on my way to a ski lodge than a waterfall. I irritated countless local drivers with my nervy braking (and slow pace), and finally, after approximately 59 mistimed bends, arrived at the Dangar Falls car park.Dangar Falls shut. Dangerous terrain. Repair work underway. No pedestrian access. Still stinking hot.A disaster.Instagram hopes dashed, I drove to the Crystal Showers Falls walk, which involves an even longer hike (an hour and a half round trip to Dangar Falls’ half-hour).

 

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Though the Gondwanan forest was humbling, the falls themselves were another disaster.Though I was hoping to mimic the ‘rippling abs’ and mystical ‘chasing waterfalls’ ~vibe~ of other Instagram users…

 

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… the end result was more ‘pale man struggles to stand beneath gentle trickle.’

 Even with sneakers on, standing under the waterfall proved futile. Showering ‘like nature intended’ my Billabong branded ass.RELATED: I Tried Bali’s Instagram Famous ‘Floating Breakfast’ & It Was A Complete DisasterI also found out – after having rushed back for fear of having to trek back in the dark – that Crystal Shower Falls possesses a hidden secret which only can be seen at night.According to Walk My World, “At night it is lit by hundreds of twinkling blue lights – it’s a hidden glow worm colony that absolutely no one we met knew about, including the visitor centre!”The more you know, I suppose.

Read Next

• I Did Sydney’s Most Instagram Famous Walk & It Was A Complete Disaster
• I Went To Bali’s Most Instagram Famous Day Club & It Was A Complete Disaster

The post I Visited Bellingen’s Instagram-Famous Waterfall. It Was A Complete Disaster appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

In case you’ve been living under a rock these last few weeks, one of the biggest news stories of 2021 so far has been the GameStop short squeeze.

The struggling American video game retailer saw its share price absolutely skyrocket thanks to retail investors backing the stock, largely led by Reddit’s /r/wallstreetbets community (WSB). This has fuelled one of the most brutal ‘short squeezes’ in living memory, which boosted GameStop’s stock price from a record low of 2.57 USD to a record high of 347.51 USD, with institutional short sellers losing money hand over foot.

Now it seems as if the hype is finally over, with $GME currently trading at 92.41 USD as of publication. Much of this has to do with trading apps like Robinhood restricting trades on $GME and other WSB-backed shares – a highly controversial move that has many investors, small and large, calling for stricter financial regulation.

With $GME on the way out, it seems some members of WSB have changed tack to picking a fight with short sellers on the commodity market, with retail investors throwing their weight behind silver. The spot price recently surged to a five-month high, which has also had the byproduct of pushing Australian mining shares up.

“There is this curious situation now where the Reddit crowd has turned its sights on a bigger whale in terms of trying to catalyse something of a short squeeze in the silver market,” Kyle Rodda, an analyst at brokerage IG Markets in Melbourne, shared with Reuters.

“The most important factor here is that silver is heavily shorted, the paper market is much, much larger than the underlying commodity can justify.”

So is silver going to be the next $GME? DMARGE spoke exclusively with James Whelan, VFS Group Investment Manager and in-house markets commentator, who shared some thoughts with us about investing in on the shiny stuff.

“There is a lot of misinformation being fed to the market about how shorted silver really is,” he relates.

 

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With some Redditors having made literally hundreds of thousands of dollars overnight with their investments in GameStop, other amateur investors are naturally licking their lips at the prospect of making it rich on silver now that the $GME hype train is leaving the station – as well as the prospect of causing extra pain to short sellers. But Whelan cautions that commodities like silver are a very different beast to stock:

“The ‘market cap’ on a commodity like silver is colossally greater to a share like $GME. Silver’s also a real, tangible thing… It’s not as manipulatable, and you’re also going up against serious regulations and regulators.”

“To an extent, it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Can it be done? Theoretically, yes. Will it be done? Maybe.”

As of publication, the spot price of silver comes in at 35 AUD per ounce. Time will tell how crazy silver will get – but regardless of how long or how intense this current speculation will turn out to be, Whelan relates that, for him, silver is worth investing in.

“The market hates uncertainty, and firms won’t want their clients’ super[annuation] money in the middle of the market with all these kids on Reddit.”

“But with stimulus packages on the way in the US, we’ll see inflation… Gold and silver are still havens. Essentially, even if they weren’t in it, I’d want to be in it.”

Food for thought indeed.

Read Next

• Australian ‘House Porn’ Trend A Symptom Of A Nation Gone Mad With Property
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The American dream might be to go take a bunch of narcotics and spend all your money in Vegas, but the Australian dream is even more absurd: to own a house (preferably a big one, by the beach).Talking about property prices has become a national obsession and there’s a good reason for it: house prices in Australia – for desirable suburbs at least – have lost the plot.Sydney, for instance, today commands some of the highest prices for property (compared to residents’ average annual salaries) anywhere in the world, with residents willing to spend more of a percentage of their paycheck on a home than Londoners or New Yorkers, some studies have found. As previously explained to DMARGE by Investment Manager James Whelan, this mindset comes with both pros and cons.RELATED: Sydney Man’s ‘Unbearable’ Experience Reveals The Perils Of Moving Too Far Away From The CityWhat’s not up for debate is that the housing market in Australia’s most populous city is a far cry from how it used to be in the 1970s, when prices would only be around five times the annual salary. Today, that number has risen to around 12.The ABC earlier this year reported Australian house prices have returned to record highs, even exceeding the peak reached in 2017.But high prices (usually) also bring with them some incredible architecture or stunning, unobstructed views…at least, if you find yourself in the right area. And with that, also comes the ideation of ‘house porn‘; homes so beautiful in their design and aesthetic, that we simply can’t get enough of seeing enough of them… and how much they cost.Case in point: this Reddit thread that asks Australians to reveal what $1 million dollars would buy in their “neck of the woods.”The original poster says he was going through “bit of a ‘house porn’ phase lately, comparing how little I’d get in my area with other parts of Australia.”His ‘area’ happens to be the Eastern Suburbs, easily one of Sydney’s most sought-after precincts, where house prices can easily stretch from seven into eight figures, and include properties such as this ultimate man pad. He begrudgingly admits that “being the eastern suburbs of Sydney, you’re not getting a house for < $1,000,000 [sic].”He, therefore, posts a sold listing for a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment in Rose Bay with a generous 72 m2 of floor area that was snapped up for $975,000.Many users were quick to post what they could get for a cool million in their own respective areas (something to be discussed in more detail below).Others posited this ‘house porn’ trend could explain Australia’s housing market bubble. One wrote: “this whole thread plays into the broader issue that many countries don’t have – straight up fetishizing housing.”

“Whilst you are right it’s just posting pics, it’s symptomatic of a broader issue in the country which is what separates us from other countries who all have the issues you listed above, but don’t have insane prices like Aus[tralia].”

The original poster of the thread disagreed, writing, “Actually I think the reason why is probably a combination of…Record low-interest rates, easy availability of credit, tax incentives like negative gearing, population growth and immigration.”

“I’d say ‘a bunch of redditors posting pictures of houses for fun’ is probably fairly low down on the list of why property prices will never collapse in this country.”

Nevertheless – chicken vs. egg debate aside – Australia’s ‘house porn’ trend is almost certainly a symptom of a society obsessed with property.Founder of The Rubinstein Group at Ray White, and one of the Eastern Suburbs’ top performing real estate agents, Gavin Rubinstein, told DMARGE, “Generally speaking, everyone around here has an interest in property – whether they own it or whether they are aspiring to [own it].”“Another reason would be property prices are relatively high and [buying a house] is a great avenue to build wealth,” Rubinstein told DMARGE. “People are aware of that and as the market rises the economy changes, people just want to make sure they’ve made a good investment.”

“Australian culture in general just has an interest in property.”

That said, Rubinstein also told us that, to a great degree, house prices are “a hot topic everywhere” not just in Australia, as it is “such an important sector.”The r/ausfinance community is full of threads where users admit things like, “Sometimes I’ll look up houses that I could never afford and/or in areas that I’d never feasibly be able to move to.”

“I bought a new house 12 months ago and still look at house prices in the area just to make sure I got the best deal possible. It’s a weird obsession.”

As if to prove the popularity of the topic, within seven days of the “what would $1 million get you?” question being posted, the thread has amassed nearly 300 comments, many of which come from other Australians heeding to the original poster’s call to upload listings of sold properties that met the AU$1,000,000 criteria. We’re sure they had an absolute field day browsing the listings of their local area, to see what sort of architectural masterpieces they could find.RELATED: What Australians Can Learn From Spain’s Attitude To Unemployment In stark contrast to the Rose Bay apartment – stunning, though it may be – if you up sticks from Sydney and head north to Cairns, you could bag yourself something similar to this beachside mansion, complete with six bedrooms and three bathrooms for AU$1,085,000 (if you move closer to the CBD, however, expect prices for similar homes to rise).The poster, deejay1974 adds, “For context, Cairns region (ie, its suburban area) has reasonable entry-level units and townhouses for $125-200K, and reasonable houses in the $350-500K range. Prices above that get you varying levels of ‘extra’ and/or beachside locations. (There is also cheaper, but you’ll usually want cash to improve them). In Cairns city, which can be a market of its own, $1M will get you a 3 bed/2 bath waterside apartment with views.”Sydney’s high prices – and penchant for quality, however ostentatious – are closely followed by Melbourne, with the former world’s most liveable city also demanding prospective buyers part with large sums of cash if they want to be close to the hustle and bustle of the CBD, or just far enough removed to revel in everything suburbia has to offer.Take this two-bedroom townhouse in Glen Iris, as a prime example. It hadn’t even been built when it sold in November 2020 for $989,000. Sure, it offers the very latest in design, materials and fixtures and fittings and could easily be described and “pure, unadulterated house porn”, but, as the poster says, “$1m for a 2 bed off the plan townhouse next door to a childcare center, on a fairly busy road.” Mind-boggling.What the Reddit thread ultimately confirms, is that if you value space and size, but don’t have endlessly deep pockets, then you have no choice but to extend your search beyond the confines of a CBD. To do so also greatly enhances the chances of coming across homes that you simply want to admire, from both the outside and in, even when on a budget.Not that that’s a bad thing of course. Rural areas can present houses like this one, in WA’s Margaret River, which offers six-bedrooms, parking for four cars and over 2,000 m2 of floor space, with $50,000 change from the $1 million budget.Experts have attributed the snapping up of property in recent months to the global pandemic and the uncertainty it caused. In Australia at least, to help alleviate a repeat of the 2008 financial crisis, the RBA reduced interest rates to an unprecedented 0.10 per cent in November 2020.Naturally, the national interest rate plays a huge part in someone’s house buying decisions, and so the end of 2020 suddenly became considered a prime opportunity for Australian house hunters to score a pad for the first time.As for the future: if Australia continues isolated from the rest of the world, prices across the board could remain (relatively) stable (or even fall). If business as usual resumes, however, the property market could start to skyrocket again (provided interest rates don’t then jack up too hard alongside them). As ever, zones with limited supply and high demand will likely retain their value, even if Australia remains isolated from the world (or unless they suddenly lose their demand).Happy house hunting.

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