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(pictured: Matt Whineray) The New Zealand Superannuation Fund has made its first investment in a merger arbitrage strategy, committing NZ$200 million (A$183 million) to US hedge fund manager Ramius. The mandate focuses on investment opportunities arising through merger and acquisition transactions, predominately in listed companies in North America and Europe. Such event-driven strategies are rare in…

(pictured: Laurence Bailey) By Greg Bright It’s been a popular saying of Laurence Bailey for many years. And, as the custody veteran prepares for the next phase of his life, most likely to involve teaching or coaching, it is as true today as it was when he started in the industry in the 1980s – remarkably,…

(pictured: Shaun Parkes)  Shaun Parkes, who joined J.P. Morgan in 2003 in London and who has headed up the firm’s Investor Client Management business in Asia ex-Japan since 2013, is replacing Laurence Bailey as head of Investor Services Sales for Asia Pacific at J.P. Morgan. Bailey, a J. P. Morgan veteran of more than 30…

(pictured: Graeme Arnott) The Australian Taxation Office is becoming increasingly interested in the strategies and operations of big super funds as they impact, for the first time, on the Government’s revenue base. Four out of the top 10 Australian taxpayers are now super funds and two are in the top five. Graeme Arnott, the deputy chief…

(pictured: Sinclair Scholfield) Big super funds plan to lift their exposures to alternatives despite serious concerns about transparency and their own governance of those investments, according to a survey by State Street. Most big funds around the world, the survey shows, are also grappling with a new model for their members’ retirement. The survey –…

(pictured: Andrew Ang) Andrew Ang, sometimes referred to as the father of factor investing, came home to Australia last week. It was his first visit back since exiting academia in New York last July to become the global head of factor investing strategies at BlackRock. Here are some of his insights. Ang, born and raised in…

(pictured: Rupal Bhansali) Australian investors are concerned about when and how they should apply extra risk again to their equity portfolios but, perhaps, they should be focusing more attention on their fixed income exposures, according to Rupal Bhansali, the visiting CIO of global manager Ariel Investments. After several client meetings in Australia last week, Bhansali, who…

(pictured: Andrea West) Insurer AIA Australia and fund administrator Pillar Administration have been confirmed as the major sponsors of this year’s Chant West Super Fund Awards, the presentation of which will take place at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney on May 4. The Awards are backed up by the Chant West analytical and advisory resources, which…

(pictured: Jeff Stangl) Investment firms aren’t living up to the high expectations of either institutional or retail clients, according to a new CFA Institute survey. And institutional investors are less tolerant of fund managers’ failures, the survey shows. The survey of 502 institutional and 3,300 retail investors in 10 jurisdictions including Australia and New Zealand found investment…

(pictured: Ian Woods) Listed firms need to better disclose their exposure to carbon emissions, according to Ian Woods, AMP Capital Australia head of environmental, social and governance research. Otherwise, it is difficult for investors to assess climate risk. In a paper published this month, Woods says carbon disclosure at the individual firm level is the “critical first…