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Markets are poised for more damage after a remarkable bull run, and Orbis Australia believes now is the time when contrarianism will prove its worth. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,” writes Charles Dickens in “A Tale…

Venture capital and private equity have produced the most popular source of new IPOs in recent years, but public market investors are rejecting the valuations they’ve set. Venture capital has been one of the most popular and profitable sectors in which to operate and invest in the last few years. Traditionally the domain of the…

While Liberals and Labor have sparred for decades, it seems that many Australians believe the ideological conflict waged over superannuation is mostly moot. The super wars have raged unchecked since the introduction of the superannuation guarantee (SG) in the heady days of 1993. But the ideological battles in Parliament and the press have been waged…

Investment strategies yoked to indices face the most risk as the 30-year global economic détente unravels, according to UK-based economist, Andrew Hunt. Hunt told a Nikko Asset Management webinar audience last week that index investors benefited over the previous three decades from “chasing liquidity” and themes predicated on growing economic collaboration across the world. But…

UniSuper’s decision to dip its toe into venture capital is all about members. The question is whether the fund will go further down a road that few others have tread.  It’s an investment that would barely move the dial on overall returns, but the $75 million that UniSuper has tipped into early-stage commercialisation manager Uniseed…

The Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST) has argued that funds should be permitted to use their operational risk financial reserve (ORFR) to upgrade their systems and prevent future risks earlier. The “blunt” 0.25 per cent of fund capital that funds must hold in their ORFR is now becoming a “very significant sum” for some…

Apostle’s People and Planet fund was tailor-made for Statewide Super’s members – and has interesting implications for an industry trying to meet a new wave of demand for sustainable options.   Two years ago, many institutions were still outsourcing their socially responsible investing (SRI) to AMP Capital or Pendal. But the Boe Pahari controversy saw…

Perennial’s new private growth fund is swinging for the institutional market as more and more companies steer clear of public markets amidst conditions. “The number of companies looking to stay private for longer has exploded,” says Ryan Sohn,portfolio manager for Perennial’s new Private Growth Ventures fund. “There’s a need for patient, private capital, and that’s…

The cult of the benchmark is alive and well in global financial markets – and it’s probably doing more harm than good when it comes to ESG investing. ESG has leapt from the fringes of the financial services to widespread acceptance in just a handful of years. But markets tend to act as myopic, short-term…

As funds get bigger and bigger – and the Your Future Your Super (YFYS) performance test bites – they’re rethinking everything from alpha generation to their intrinsic investment philosophies. While the increasing size of super funds will benefit them in unlisted markets – where big funds can increasingly play on the same field as global…

According to Pzena Investment Management, the value cycle is now truly under way – and shows no signs of slowing.   New York-based Pzena Investment Management began to track the value rotation in late 2020, with its analysis research showing that deep value stocks have outperformed by around 37.4 per cent since. But the question…

Factor-specialist Northern Trust Asset Management (NTAM) has established a quantitative investment team targeting the Asia-Pacific region. Australia-based, Scott Bennett, will head the new NTAM APAC quant unit across the dual locations of Melbourne and Hong Kong. Bennett joined NTAM in 2018 as head of quant research for Australia and NZ. Before moving to NTAM, Bennett…