Students of ancient history will remember leafing through text books and coming across the term ‘Pax Romana’, Latin for the Roman peace referring to the calm experienced across the Roman Empire in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. Markets and economies now appear to be living through the Pax Central Banker age. The US Federal Reserve…
(Pictured:Â Jeff Bresnahan) Not-for-profit funds have dominated the top ranks for super fund returns in the year to June, according to figures released over the weekend by SuperRatings. Corporate fund Telstra Super had the best performing balanced, growth and Australian shares options of the top 50 funds. The median return for balanced options among super funds…
(Pictured:Â Adrian Stewart) After more than a year of searching and, possibly, soul searching, PIMCO last week announced two key appointments for the region – head of Asia Pacific and head of Australia. Adrian Stewart, former head of institutional business at Macquarie, is the new Australian chief, based in Sydney, and Eric Mogelof is the new…
AXA Investment Managers has appointed Simon Flood as head of Asia Pacific, including Japan, based in Hong Kong. He will report to Laurent Seyer, global head of ‘client group’. He succeeds Jean-Pierre Leoni who, after four years in Asia, is returning to France where he will lead AXA IM’s client management group. Seyer said last…
The dynamic approach to risk management being pioneered by global consulting firm Milliman is gaining traction in Australia, according to Milliman’s head of fund services, Michael Armitage. He explains the firm’s hedging strategy to Brendan Swift and how some hedge fund-style processes can be used to protect retirees, along with super fund portfolios. The global…
(Pictured: David Murray) Comment by Greg Bright David Murray, the 65-year-old former chief executive of the Commonwealth Bank and, clearly, a favorite person of successive coalition governments, is scheduled to hand down the interim report of the Financial System Inquiry (FSI) tomorrow, July 15. What can we expect? Murray’s role as chair of the inquiry…
Word is that the Link Group, owner of Sydney-based Australian Administration Services (AAS), has already done a deal to buy its main competitor, SuperPartners, from its super fund owners, following the announcement last month of a review into the future of the Melbourne-based administrator. The prime cause of the sale is the losses associated with…
(Pictured: Michael Gallagher) The Alternative Investment Management Association in Australia has filled its vacant general manager’s spot with the appointment of experienced hedge fund manager Michael Gallagher. One of his first tasks will be to help finalise the program for the association’s upcoming annual conference. Gallagher, who follows Brett Ireland in the job, has more…
(Pictured: Dan Bosscher) Perennial Value Management has built a risk-management capability, which it is offering through a new retail Australian equities trust or as an overlay for its larger institutional clients. The service provides downside protection while allowing the client to remain fully invested in the market. The culmination of about three years of work,…
(Pictured: Kyle Ringrose) By Penny Pryor QSuper is about to review it’s pilot securities lending program and determine whether it wants to be more aggressive, head of investment operations at the $40 billion fund, Kyle Ringrose, told delegates at the Global Investor/ISF Masterclass Australia conference last week. Ringrose announced that the fund would be starting…
