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(Pictured: Jim McCaughan)  Keeping a watchful eye on valuations, Jim McCaughan, the chief executive of Principal Global Investors, says that it is probably not too late to lift an under-weighting to the US share market. “We think the US has another two or three years to go,” he says. On a visit to Australia last…

(Pictured: Andrew Bascand) Harbour Asset Management of New Zealand has launched a new wholesale global equities Portfolio Investment Entity (PIE) fund in association with Baltimore-based growth manager T. Rowe Price. While T. Rowe Price markets to larger institutions directly, Andrew Bascand, Harbour managing director, said the deal would give smaller-scale NZ investors tax-effective access to one…

(Pictured: Catherine Nance)  With the recruitment of David St John, the former UniSuper CIO and current super fund investment advisor, PwC has signalled its intention to expand its services to big super funds and fund managers in direct competition with the traditional asset consulting firms. The global accounting and advisory firm is looking to provide…

(Pictured: Greg Nolan) Care Super has recruited a new CIO to replace the long-standing incumbent, Greg Nolan, who has decided to move to a part-time role with the $8 billion industry fund. Care Super chief executive, Julie Lander, is also expected to announce some other new appointments soon. Suzanne Branton, a senior portfolio manager at Equipsuper…

(Pictured: Mike Davis) Mike Davis, the managing director and country head of Nikko Asset Management in Australia, has resigned after three years at the helm. His tenure involved an integration of the former Tyndall business and an internationalisation of the Nikko business. He will remain at the firm until later in March, assisting in the search…

(Pictured: David Braga) BNP Paribas Securities Services has tapped David Braga from JP Morgan as its new Australia country head, joining Ian Perkins, head of client development, to run the firm in what looks like the busiest year for custodians in Australia and New Zealand. Braga, who is also chair of the Australian Custodial Services Association,…

(Pictured: Warren Chant) by Greg Bright The third annual Chant West Super Fund Awards, to be announced on May 6 at a black-tie event at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney, follows three themes for the funds which have helped Warren Chant, the research firm’s enigmatic principal, to narrow down his short list. Fees and My Super…

(Pictured: Andrea Slattery)  A slight name change for an industry association should not, by rights, raise too much interest. With the former SPAA, for instance, which became the SMSF Association last week, the biggest concern seemed to be how you could say the association’s new name reasonably quickly. ‘SPAA’ was a lot easier. But, with…

(Pictured: Niall Quinn) Australian super funds have a right to be worried about the world we are in, says Niall Quinn, a managing director and president of global manager Eaton Vance Investment Managers. But he is not a pessimist. He believes, for instance, the worst will be over within four years. Quinn, who is a fixed…

The introduction of the new Basel III banking liquidity regulations has opened a window of opportunity for financial institutions in Australia to work with their bank providers on innovative strategies and solutions which could benefit both parties, according to Kevin Wong, Director in Client Insights & Solutions, in ANZ Bank’s International and Institutional Banking group….