News

(Pictured: Ross Bernays) Ross Bernays, the former chief executive of Health Industry Plan (HIP), which merged with Prime Super in May, has launched a funds management servicing company, Investment and Financial Services Logistics. The company will blend third-party marketing and events with placement agency offerings. Bernays said that the service aimed to support investors, fund managers…

(Pictured: 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: 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…

(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…

(Pictured: Jeff Bresnahan) There’s nothing like a spat between rivals to prick one’s interest, but the recent dispute between trade publisher Super Review and research firm SuperRatings is particularly unusual. Super Review had claimed to have SuperRatings’ support for a new industry Awards night, which would be highly unusual in itself. But this turned out…

(Pictured: Anton Tagliaferro)With many small-cap funds either at, or near, capacity, Investors Mutual has decided to enter the listed investment company market with an Australian equities fund which invests outside the top 20. The LIC – QV Equities Ltd – seeks to raise a minimum of $100 million and maximum of $200 million and hopes…

People not only spend less time reading news and analyses online as they used to do in print, they prefer different types of articles. An analysis of the most popular reports on Investor Strategy News for the past year shows commentary and the industry’s history rate highest among our readers. This newsletter celebrated its first…