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The global trend of increasing allocations to ‘real assets’ will continue, if the results of a Frontier Advisors study tour prove correct. However, big pension funds overseas may be less concerned about liquidity than Australian super funds – to their benefit and our detriment. After a trip to the UK, Canada and the US by…

(Pictured: Enrique Gonzalez) Milestone Group, the Australian-owned global fund processing firm, has continued its expansion path with the appointment of Enrique Gonzalez to head up product management for the APAC region, based in Sydney. He will have overall responsibility for the alignment of Milestone’s product line to key client segments, including repatriating globally developed solutions back…

Scott Webster of UBS: ‘fund engagement with their members is the holy grail’ The introduction of sophisticated member-directed investment options (MDIOs) may have been prompted by a defensive frame of mind among trustees of big super funds, which have been losing higher-balance members to the SMSF market. But, in the rapid evolution of these options…

(Pictured: James Burkitt) Family offices are becoming increasingly attractive places to work for investment professionals due to greater flexibility, less bureaucracy and regulation and, often, better remuneration. According to the latest research from James Burkitt, there are now at least 250 families in Australia with more than $200 million to invest, and 50 with more than…

(Pictured: Raewyn Williams) Parametric, the after-tax and implementation manager, has put some form and context around the regulatory push and increased general awareness of the importance of managing money on an after-tax basis. A new paper sets out what managers should and should not do. The paper, written by Raewyn Williams, a former manager and consultant…

(Pictured: Ravi Nevile) Mercer Sentinel, the custody consulting, implementation and transitions arm of Mercer, is looking for a new head of its Asia Pacific business following the resignation of Ravi Nevile, who leaves the firm at the end of this week. Graeme Mather, business leader for Mercer Investment Consulting in Australia and New Zealand, is running…

(Pictured: Denis Carroll) Investing for risk can add real value to portfolios over time, with a recent paper based on a time series of live decisions for a UK-based fiduciary investor, showing significant outperformance by adopting a risk-control target rather than returns. The paper, by consulting group CheckRisk, followed the implementation of its advice at IFG,…

(Pictured: Jennifer Bender) With the evolution of what most people call ‘smart beta’, but State Street calls ‘advanced beta’, Jennifer Bender says that the two overriding trends are the recognition that these are new beta tools to be used to mix and match depending on the investor’s profile and that there are strong diversification benefits to…

(Pictured: Pam McAlister) Since Arthur Sinodinos stood down as assistant treasurer early this year, speculation around compulsory structural changes to super fund boards, which he had proposed, has also died down. But most people in the industry believe the trend for more independents is inevitable. Mercer has surveyed some big funds about their readiness. The Mercer…

(Pictured: Keith Heydon) AIMA Australia has announced the keynote speakers for its annual conference on September 16 at the Sydney Sofitel Wentworth Hotel. They include Keith Haydon, the CIO of Man Group affiliate FRM. Haydon runs US$11 billion of FRM money and sits on the Man Group executive committee overseeing US$55 billion. Other keynotes include: David…