News

(Pictured: Ged Fitzpatrick) The strong US trend to liquid alternatives for the retail market, which is showing signs of blossoming in Australia, has attracted the attention of ASIC, the AIMA Australia Hedge Fund Forum was told last week. The annual forum, which had a record attendee roll-up of almost 300 – making it the largest investment…

(Pictured: Martin Scott) Global private equity specialist Partners Group has launched an Australian dollar unit trust for the platforms market with monthly liquidity and offering applications and redemptions prices at net asset value. The fund is based on a seven-year-old global fund which has more than 2,500 individual positions. It also contains a lot of ‘secondaries’…

(Pictured: Alison Wallis) The Melbourne-based Catholic Superannuation Fund has seeded an Australian-domiciled US micro-cap fund launched by local investment advisory firm Brookvine and US micro and small-cap manager Thomson Horstmann & Bryant (THB). A research note by Brookvine illustrates the unique nature of US micro-caps. The CSF has invested $90 million in the new fund….

(Pictured: Richard Johnston) It wouldn’t be a hedge fund conference without a discussion about fees … and the AIMA Australia Hedge Fund Forum last week did not disappoint. One positive suggestion was: perhaps super funds should look to trade off lock-ups for lower fees. Richard Johnston, the managing director of alternatives consultant Albourne Partners (Asia), which…

(Pictured: Bob Browne) Smart beta strategies are not without their risks, nor their costs. They are becoming increasingly popular, however, as super funds tweak their portfolios ahead of what many see as an end to the recovery period for major share markets post global financial crisis. Immediately post crisis, institutional investors became more interested in traditional…

(Pictured: Adam Gee) After a year which included a raft of regulatory change and review – especially the introduction of MySuper – the annual SuperRatings awards consist of 10 not-for-profit funds as finalists in each of the ‘super’ and ‘pension’ awards categories. The finalists for the four main categories were announced last week. Winners will be…

by Greg Bright NAB Asset Servicing has prepared a statement to be released to the ASX covering a new arrangement for the global component of its asset servicing arm, having received no offers for the business following a tender process. Northern Trust has pulled out of negotiations with NAB over the partial sale a couple…

(Pictured: Catherine Nance) Super funds are stronger than ASX-listed companies in “a couple of areas of governance”, according to PwC partner Catherine Nance, but differences between the two areas reflect a “misalignment” of regulation of the overlapping investment pools. Nance was the main speaker during a session on the governance of super funds, ‘Lessons from the…

(Pictured: Ken Marshman) Ken Marshman, the chair of REST Super and former chief executive of JANA Investment Advisers, has spent a good part of his career looking for ways to reduce the costs associated with active investment management. He presented a six-point plan to the ASI conference. A few years ago, Marshman was the co-author, with…

(Pictured: Full of goodies) In a blast from conferences past, but with a stronger technological bias, all wrapped up in a tastefully and appropriately decorated bag, the organisers and sponsors of the Australian Superannuation and Investment conference warmed the hearts of attendees with their give-aways this year. After years of austerity in the promotions department,…

(Pictured: Tony McDonald) by Greg Bright There are big troubles facing the bank-aligned financial planning groups, from litigation to regulation to disenchantment by the clients and the planners themselves. Whether or not this leads to a more independent planning model, as some are predicting, is uncertain. Super funds can take advantage of the mess. Ironically, it…

(Pictured: Matthew Walker) The new Association of Real Return Investment Advisers (ARRIA) is targeting the “top 20 per cent” of IFAs as members, according to the inaugural chair, financial planner Matthew Walker, in order to provide practical content, tools and discussion opportunities to promote outcomes-oriented strategies in the advice community. Walker, a director of independent advisory…