News

You can do a lot with a well-thought-out nudge, but you probably can’t solve either of the crises of the moment, covid-19 and climate change, according to Richard H. Thaler. The behavioural economist and Nobel Laureate addressed a predominantly Australian webinar audience last week (August 24), organised by the University of Sydney Business School, where…

Early reports by ASX-listed companies under the Commonwealth’s Modern Slavery Act are positive but many have not responded to requests for information and some high-profile companies are exposed to greater risks than others. According to a new study by Martin Currie Australia (MCA), which manages almost $10 billion in Australian equities, 18 per cent of…

Sir Michael Cullen, the political force behind the establishment of NZ Super and the KiwiSaver scheme, has died at 76 after a battle with cancer. The NZ Labour politician, deputy prime minister and finance minister, will likely be remembered more widely for his liberal views, including legalised euthanasia, and generosity of spirit towards the less…

Affirmative Investment Management, a global fixed income manager specialising in impact bonds, has recruited Fiona Reynolds as a senior adviser and the first member of a proposed new advisory board. She starts the part-time role in London on October 1, prior to her scheduled return to Australia around Christmas, covid permitting. The London-based AIM already…

Magellan will continue to spend big on ventures like upstart investment bank Barrenjoey and fintech Finclear as it diversifies away from its cornerstone global equities business. With investors continuing to question the lacklustre performance of Magellan’s global equities strategy, which has been the focus of (occasionally unfair) media attention for going on a year now,…

Liberal senator Andrew Bragg believes the Future Fund should be made Australia’s default superannuation fund. But national superannuation is a political minefield. In conversation with Simon Cowan, research director at the Centre for Independent Studies, Bragg called compulsory superannuation a “fundamentally illiberal, paternalistic policy” and said that the Australian government should “take its responsibilities more…

Rob Arnott, the founder and chairman of Research Affiliates, addressed investors on the unanswerable question as to what happens next following the recent rebound in fortunes for value managers. His webinar, on August 5 (US time) begged the question of when it will happen, but he left the audience in no doubt about what was…

State Street has recruited a 22-year Deutsche Bank veteran, Jeslyn Tan, to fill the position as head of product management, driving the end-to-end product strategy in the Asia Pacific region. The Singapore-based role was previously filled by Babloo Sarin, who has become head of ‘asset owner and official institution’ segments for State Street in the…

Aon has put its KiwiSaver and employer master trust schemes on the block, according to industry sources. It is understood Aon has circulated an investment memorandum seeking interest in the group’s two schemes, which collectively manage about $920 million split between the $730 million KiwiSaver and $190 million master trust. The move represents the first…

Record asset prices in major markets over the past six months have helped Australia’s asset servicing firms to a record level of assets under custody, rising to $4.4 trillion at the end of June. The latest figures from the Australian Custodial Services Association, published last Friday (August 6), show J.P. Morgan consolidating its number one…

bfinance has recruited its first senior executive dedicated to ESG, coinciding with a commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050 across its business, including manager searches. The global funds management search and research advisory firm has appointed Sarita Gosrani as ESG and responsible investment director. She heads up the new ESG advisory unit based…

The increasingly expansionary MSCI Group is to buy Real Capital Analytics (RCA), a property research firm. The Australian operation is earmarked for strong growth. MSCI announced last week (August 3) that it would pay US$950 million (A$1.3 billion) for RCA, which was founded in the US a little over 20 years ago, in 2000, by…