News

(pictured: Ashley Dale) After successfully exporting its Asia ex-Japan capability to Europe and, more recently, Latin America, international equity newcomer to Australia, Mirae Asset Global Investments, last week launched its flagship alpha strategies. Ashley Dale, Hong Kong-based chief marketing officer and head of international business development, formally introduced the Korean-owned manager and its Australian-based head of…

(pictured: Kelly O’Dwyer) After several years of discussion with the industry and delays on its introduction, the Government has proposed in new draft legislation a less-onerous disclosure requirement on portfolio holdings by super funds. The new proposals, described in this explanatory memorandum published last week, stop at the underlying fund or product level in most cases. They…

by Alice Breheny* Europe’s diverse retail property markets present excellent opportunities for institutional investors looking for stability, diversification, income and resilience, but not all locations and assets are equal, according to TH Real Estate. Investors in commercial real estate (CRE) are usually seeking capital stability, diversification, income and resilience in the face of economic shocks….

(pictured: Tom Marsico)  Marsico Capital Management, which is one of the global managers chosen in Geoff Wilson’s Future Generation Global LIC, has capitalised on the $300 million September listing to launch an Australian-domiciled vehicle and lift its presence in the wholesale and institutional markets. Marsico, which is a high-conviction US manager founded by Tom Marsico…

(pictured: Lynn Muirhead) In a good sign for employment prospects in funds management, the global recruitment agency Odgers Berndtson has launched a dedicated Australian financial services practice. The recruiters recruited Lynn Muirhead and Jules Orpin from CT Partners after that firm ceased to trade globally in June following a botched sale process. They had both previously…

(pictured: Andrew Brown) Australia is far from alone in not yet being able to deliver sufficient savings through our workplace super system to allow the average person to retire on his or her savings. A global study shows how the major countries compare with their funds’ investment strategies. The London-based Defined Contribution Investment Forum, which has…

(pictured: Ravi Sriskandaranjah) Ravi Sriskandarajah, who launched BMO Global Asset Management’s Sydney office in 2013, has been promoted to head up the region, based in Hong Kong, as managing director and head of Asia Pacific. The firm is looking for a new head of institutional sales for Australia. The asset management arm of the Bank…

(pictured: Phillip Kingston) by Greg Bright There’s an old sharemarket saying that when taxi drivers start talking about stocks, it’s time to sell. Perhaps a new version of this is that when big traditional fund managers – such as Fidelity and T. Rowe Price – get into venture, it’s time to stay away. According to Phillip…

IOOF is consolidating the custody and fund accounting for its managed funds and multi-manager business, covering more than $20 billion, and will reduce the number of custodians from three to one after a review which began late last year. As part of the review, the manager is also having a new system built with the…

(pictured: Kate Mulligan) Kate Mulligan has made a return to funds management proper, setting up a separate company from her legal, compliance and operational advice business to launch a specialist manage-the-manager strategy investing in Latin America. She intends to roll out other specialist regional funds. Mulligan, who was the managing director of Advance Asset Management…

(pictured: Damian Graham) As super funds look to play a greater role supporting members with retirement products and services, they may need to think differently about how they look at the main risks faced by retirees, according to Damian Graham. Graham, the CIO of StatePlus, points out that, when members start to draw down on…

(pictured: Ian Fryer) Online calculators that generate income projections represent a good way to focus members’ attention on their retirement. But the calculators provided by Australia’s biggest funds, as well as ASIC, offer widely different answers to basic questions. According to a study by Chant West, the projections provided by calculators used by seven big public…