News

First Super inhabits a world of giants, but it’s not considering a merger and it’s not sweating its size. That doesn’t mean it’s not “chronically anxious” about performance and costs.

Howard Marks thinks that markets and the investors that ply them are going to experience massive change in the next decade. If his latest memo is right, credit instruments could come to represent the majority of portfolios.

Global biodiversity loss represents a systemic risk for financial markets, and Australia – and its super funds – should be “global champions” for biodiversity efforts, according to Federated Hermes.

As the fund contemplates managing $700 billion by 2030 it’s looking for new ways to invest with a global portfolio mindset and chase hot assets in local markets to drive value creation for its members.

The way super funds make money for their members is going to have to change, according to Colonial First State chief investment officer Jonathan Armitage. But retail funds might prove to have a natural advantage as the whole system shifts into a new gear.

The prudential regulator wants to publish more granular details of how funds spend and invest their members’ money in an initiative it hopes will improve transparency in the $3.5 trillion super sector.

The $160 billion fund says that its essential worker housing program stacks up as an investment for both its members and the country’s future. But current policy settings mean few funds can follow its example.

As international sustainable manager Osmosis looks to expand in Australia, a large university has become one of the first investors in the local vehicle for its ex-fossil fuels strategy.

A coalition of domestic and international pension funds has bought one of Australia’s largest private forest management companies in a big vote of confidence for natural capital assets.

Forestry has investment features that dovetail with the long-term strategies of super funds, according to Atchison Consultants, but the asset class has been ignored in favour of more traditional allocations .

The association of Superannuation Funds of Australia is still on the hunt for a chief executive to replace Martin Fahy, but has turned to the former CEO of Spirit Super to shoulder the load in the meantime.

The world’s second-largest economy can still expect mid-single digit growth for years to come, says APS Asset Management, but the value on offer is the best it’s seen in decades.