News

The world’s largest state-owned funds have accelerated their allocations to renewables and lifted their targets for net-zero portfolios but, so far, their investments have been “miniscule”, according to the latest report by Global SWF. In a special edition of its monthly newsletter coinciding with this month’s COP26 meeting, the institutional investment research firm calculates that…

AMP Capital will continue in a A$29 billion investment management gig with Resolution Life after selling down its stake in the insurer last week. According to an AMP spokesperson, there has been “no change to the [Resolution] mandate for AMP Capital” post the agreement to offload its over 19 per cent holding in the life…

Ben Phillips has left Casey Quirk, the specialist funds management consulting arm of Deloitte, after 13 years with the business. He has taken a role blending new technologies with investment data on a grand scale. The role, as head of asset management for ‘Global Advisory Services’ with fintech giant Broadridge Financial Solutions, aims to build…

An investor wish list shows how much we’re getting wrong. But it’s a long road to getting things right. One on one, big investors are usually loathe to suggest that governments could be doing more on decarbonisation, regardless of how true – and obvious – that statement is. Allow them to comment anonymously and that…

While factor investing has been taken up globally, it’s seen slower pickup in the highly concentrated Australian equity market. That’s starting to change. The success of traditional active management is mostly due to its exposure to the most common factors: value, momentum, quality, and low volatility. But while factor-based investing has become globally ubiquitous, challenges…

A profound shift in the investment environment demands a revolution – not an evolution – in thinking, according to Ruffer. It might be the only way to defy gravity. The analogy that Ruffer uses for investor behaviour over the last 40 years is that of crabs. The humble crustaceans evolved to fill their niche from…

David Atkin is to become the new chief executive of PRI, it was announced in London last night (November 1). He takes up the role on December 10 when fellow Australian Fiona Reynolds departs for home after nine years. Reynolds has just seen out a successful annual PRI conference and is remaining with the organisation…

IOOF has become the first external client for a new strategy from Nassau Private Credit, a US-based specialist global credit manager, with a US$50 million investment. The strategy invests in collateralised loan obligations (CLOs) focusing on ‘control equity’, mezzanine and debt tranches of third-party managed instruments. Nassau Private Credit has been represented in Australia by…

The premier newsletter in the institutional investment market space, Investor Strategy News (IS|N), has appointed Lachlan Maddock as editor, effective today. He replaces newsletter industry veteran and IS|N founder Greg Bright who will become Consulting Publisher across The Inside Network publications, and be a regular contributor. Bright, who founded IS|N a decade ago to fill a…

The Australian Alternative Investment Awards, held in conjunction with the Hedge Funds Rock charity fundraiser, will be proceed in-person this year after last year’s deferral to Covid-19 restrictions. The awards, which recognise the best alternative investment funds and asset managers in the Australian funds management industry, have a new addition in the form of the…

Global manager Ninety One has launched an index for sovereign bond investors which provides an independently verified assessment of alignment with the Paris Agreement on net zero. A feature of the index, the first of its kind, is that its inclusion of all major emerging markets, many of which are most impacted by both climate…

A significant chunk of super fund advertising could now be on ice, with APRA finding that marketing expenditure could not be shown to have improved members’ financial position. As stapling puts a nail in the coffin of default distribution, many of Australia’s biggest super funds have turned their attention to the dark art of advertising…