One of the largest and oldest ESG-specialist fund managers in the world, Calvert Research and Management, has entered the Australian market following its purchase last year by Eaton Vance. Calvert provides a different perspective on the topic than most other managers. Anthony Eames, the vice president and director of the main ‘Responsible Investment Strategy’ at…
Comment by Greg Bright It may seem like a small sample – just 50 investment professionals of big super funds, plus a sprinkling of consultants and managers – but it signifies what appears to be a growing movement to push back against the merger trend promoted by APRA and some industry commentators. The question: “In…
The Australian Custodial Services Association has announced several board changes while unveiling its annual award winners to members last week. The board changes follow several years of honorary work by directors on the detail of new regulations. Hosted by Citi, the members’ dinner represented the first in a series of ACSA events for the year….
Good investment performance used to be all a fund manager needed to deliver. It’s still essential, but it is no longer a sufficient ingredient for success, according to Joe Sullivan, the president and chief executive of multi-affiliate manager Legg Mason Global Asset Management. Sullivan visited Australia last week to speak at Legg Mason symposiums in…
The odds are that the overall market returns from emerging market debt strategies – their beta – will be more subdued in the next couple of years than the recent past. But the allocations are just as necessary for yield-hungry investors. Here’s what one specialist manager suggests investors should do. Denise Simon, who has been…
An impressive array of senior industry figures will attend the fifth annual Chant West Super Fund Awards presentations, at a gala dinner on May 24. Master of ceremonies for the black-tie function, at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom, will be Martin Fahy, the ASFA chief executive. Chant West’s ‘VIPs’ attending from the industry include: Helen Rowell, deputy…
The Rainmaker Information goup’s MAX Awards, organised by its publication ‘Financial Standard’, seem to have taken on a life of their own. The ‘people’s choice’ type of voting has created an increasing amount of interest in the industry each year in the lead-up to the awards night. Nominated companies muster support from staff, from friends,…
Here’s an article for the serious quants. But, it should also be one for all of us. There is so much jargon surrounding factor investing, smart beta and passive management, including the increasing use of ETFs, that it is hard, if not impossible for ordinary institutional investors to get a handle on the trends. Research…
Australia’s Local Government Super has moved up to number one in the world for asset owners in dealing with the risks associated with climate change, according to the latest report by the well-regarded AODP organisation. And First State Super has come in third in the world ranking. The AODP (Asset Owners Disclosure Project) fifth annual…
For many years super funds have been frustrated by managers who claim to have proprietary information in their processes. When revealed, the info is often no more than what is currently referred to as “smart beta”. Now, we can devolve these processes and highlight new strategies to explore. According to a new research paper by…
