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(pictured: Sean Healey)  There are some big secular changes occurring in funds management and there are some cyclical or even faddish changes. Someone who studies these trends more than most is Sean Healey, the chairman and chief executive of Affiliated Managers Group. AMG is the largest multi-affiliate manager in the world, with 39 firms under…

(pictured: Lou Maiuri) Liquidity has risen to become top priority in the management of fiduciary funds for both asset owners and fund managers, according to a joint survey by State Street and the Alternative Investment Management Association. In a report published last week, London-based AIMA and Boston-based State Street say regulations stemming from the 2008 financial…

The UK financial regulator has gone to town on the country’s funds management industry calling for a raft of measures to reduce fees, improve disclosure and increase competition. In a wide-sweeping report released last week, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) recommends stronger investor best interest requirements for fund managers as well as introducing an “all-in…

(pictured: Tim Mitchell) Improving governance offers institutional investors win-win – or at least not-lose-win – odds of boosting performance potentially outdoing even the most optimistic post-fees alpha earned from active management, according to a new Willis Towers Watson (WTW) paper. The study, authored by Tim Mitchell, the former New Zealand Superannuation Fund head of strategic projects…

(pictured: Ray Dalio) by Greg Bright Ray Dalio is one of the world’s great investors. He is also a self-confessed misfit. I had lunch with him in the 1990s, when he was on a rare visit to Australia – represented at the time by Sheridan Lee and Tony Tuohey. What he said then resonates now. The…

(pictured: Carol Geremia) For as long as there have been performance surveys, starting with Bruce Cook’s Mercer Campbell Cook & Knight in the 1980s, short-termism has been a problem for big super funds. They continually tell themselves not to think that way, but it seems, short-termism is very difficult to avoid. A big international survey undertaken…

(pictured: Philip Moffitt) Goldman Sachs Asset Management in Australia will be focusing on developing and promoting a solutions business in the future, following the leveraged buyout of its locally domiciled strategies, emphasising the firm’s global fixed income capabilities. According to Philip Moffitt, the global co-head of fixed income and head of the remaining Australian business, the…

(pictured: Susanne Willumsen)  As demand for smart beta strategies grows, so does the range of offerings from managers looking to assist further in the evolution of quantitative investing. For some, such as Lazard Asset Management, this involves blending factors and staying one step ahead of the herd. Susanne Willumsen, Lazard Asset Management director, portfolio manager…

(pictured: Adrian Orr) By David Chaplin Despite his engaging introductory monologue, Adrian Orr, NZ Superannuation Fund chief executive, faced tough competition for the attention of the 250-plus International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Fund (IFSWF) delegates assembled at the Auckland Viaduct Centre last week. As Orr rolled energetically through a diversified portfolio of one-liners, NZ history lessons,…

(pictured: Cathy Nance) The Productivity Commission’s current review of super has the potential to turn the industry on its head. It’s the second part of the review, the report being delivered next year, and not the first part due this month, which will have all the impact. Cathy Nance, influential actuary, trustee and head of PwC…