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(pictured: Rob Everett) Policing robo-advice is a global challenge that was unlikely to be solved by waging “algorithm wars”, according to Financial Markets Authority (FMA) chief, Rob Everett. With the NZ financial regulator poised to take on the robo-cop role under new Financial Adviser Act (FAA) reforms released last week, Everett said the FMA was developing…

(pictured: David Klinger)  As liquidity in the Australian share market continues to drop and algorithmic trading has splintered institutional activity into tiny parcels, the challenge for big super funds to get in and out of domestic stocks is getting worse. Institutional flows into Australia have plummeted. Against this backdrop, a group of former traders has…

(pictured: Craig Russ)  In uncertain times, such as these, investors have traditionally turned to the fixed interest market for their downside protection. But this time it really might be different. In the ‘new normal’ of low-to-zero-to-negative interest rates, investors may well be better off in the floating-rate debt market than taking on increasing duration –…

(pictured: Hugh MacNally)  Income and capital preservation are two of the main aims of many investors, especially retirees, but in recent months, with the drop-off in performance of the banks, investors are being prompted to seek out new core stocks for their portfolios. According to Hugh MacNally, founder and chairman of Private Portfolio Managers (PPM),…

(pictured: Grahame Evans) DomaCom, the innovative property fund manager, which recently hit the headlines through a crowd-funding plan to buy the famous Kidman agricultural holdings, is looking to raise at least $10 million through an IPO for its own business. DomaCom has lodged its prospectus with ASIC and the offer has been underwritten for about half of the…

(pictured: Daniel von Preyss) Renewable energy strikes a chord with institutional investors around the world, especially those in commodities-orientated countries like Australia. The questions, though, are not so much about ‘why’ but are rather: ‘how’, ‘how much’, ‘where’ and ‘when’. Daniel von Preyss of Impax Asset Management believes he has the answers. The managing director in…

(pictured: Patrick Colle) BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNP) has rolled out a responsible investment tool, tapping into a burgeoning demand for the service from global institutional investors. The new ESG (environmental, social and governance) Risk Analytics system analyses up to 750 data points for every company in its database, BNP said in a release last week….

(pictured: Graham Harman) Russell Investments has adopted an after-Brexit stay-in-bed policy, according to the group’s latest quarterly market outlook.  Russell cautions investors against buying into the recent Brexit-related dip in markets, given the over-arching fundamentals globally. The Russell report says share prices would have to experience “substantial moves” up or down before the global multi-manager executed…

(pictured: David Orford) Financial Synergy, arguably the leading superannuation systems company in Australia, is for sale. David Orford, who founded the firm in Melbourne in 1978 as an actuarial business, has appointed an investment bank to advise on a possible transaction. While, in theory, the possible sale of Financial Synergy should not impact on the proposed…

(pictured: Gerald Stack) by David Chaplin Listed infrastructure is currently trading at a 15-30 per cent discount to comparable unlisted assets, according to Magellan global head of infrastructure, Gerald Stack. It’s suffering from too much money but there is a disconnect between listed and unlisted assets. Stack said that while academic theory suggests listed infrastructure should…