By Patrick Liddy* Those who have studied alchemy, as practiced throughout Europe, Egypt and Asia over the centuries – have been trying to convert lead into gold for thousands of years. As it turns out, it is far easier, and cheaper, to turn gold into lead. The net ‘gain’, however, leaves a lot to be…
Gordon Orr, McKinsey’s long-time China watcher, is predicting a year of slowing growth, headaches for multinationals and demographic anxiety in China. He also predicting “buyer’s remorse” for soccer tycoons. His annual report, ‘What Can we Expect in China in 2017′, assumes that the US will raise some tariffs on Chinese imports, such as steel and some…
By Greg Bright Exclusive stories about people losing their jobs dominated our readers’ selection of most-widely read news items during 2016. Unfortunately, job losses in the funds management industry are likely to remain a feature of the changing landscape in the coming year, and probably more. Â This is our year in clicks. It’s a combination…
Organisations need to set themselves up to embrace all the technological changes happening around the world, to embrace and adapt with the disruptions. The financial services industry is not immune from the trend. Pip Marlow, the outgoing managing director of Microsoft Australia, who last week announced she would join Suncorp as its first ‘CEO of…
Katherine Allchin, one of the founders of the $20 billion quant shop Vinva Investment Management, has picked up a second non-executive director (NED) role – at property fund management specialist Fortius Funds Management. Jobs for women on boards are very competitive, too, she says. Allchin, a long-standing marketer at the former Barclays Global Investors, who…
The funds management industry is well versed in the benefits of investment diversity, which was first proven way back in the 1950s with the establishment of Modern Portfolio Theory. Why then have we not embraced gender diversity? In a 20-page white paper entitled: “Gender Diversity – The Real Reason We Are still Talking About It”,…
Morningstar’s annual outlook for the Australian share market is benign in the short term but conditions in the second half of next year could turn nasty. Investors are advised to de-risk their portfolios. The report, written by Peter Warnes, head of Australian equities research, as well as David Ellis, senior equity analyst, and Adam Fleck,…
The New Plymouth Council (NPC) has found a home for approximately NZ$270 million (A$255 million) previously controlled in-house by subsidiary Taranaki Investment Management. Australian contenders are Cambridge, which is the front runner, Mercer and Russell Investments. In a decision confirmed at a Council meeting last week, the TIML mandate was awarded to one of them,…
Eaton Vance Management has recruited Clifton Bowie (Bo) Hunt to join the international arm of the firm as a v.p and global high-yield analyst, reporting to Jeffrey Mueller, v.p. and high-yield portfolio manager. High-yield strategies have become increasingly popular in the low-yield environment for both traditional fixed income portfolios and defensive equities portfolios. Investors have…
Link Group, the diversified Australian super fund administrator, has completed the largest-ever migration of super fund members in Australia’s admin history, with about two million members of AustralianSuper on the Link ‘aaspire’ platform as of last week. The transition, which was made ahead of schedule and within budget, Link says, is the company’s ninth fund…
