News

Russell Investments has made sweeping changes to its flagship global fixed income funds in a move that almost doubles the in-house managed component. In a note to clients last week (May 4), Russell revealed it had cut three incumbent bond managers – Colchester Global Investors, Insight and Voya – from the global fixed income menu…

It’s not only the traditional core of Melbourne-based industry funds that can get political in the battle against climate change and growth. Aware Super, with a foundation membership of NSW public sector employees, has entered the fray. The fund commissioned and published Friday (May 7) a 65-page report written by social researcher Rebecca Huntley entitled…

NZ Super, the Future Fund and Norway’s NBIM are among the top-performing government funds, as well as having the highest level of governance and sustainability, according to a study by SWF Global. The study, of 52 of the world’s largest funds, attempts to illustrate the connection between good governance with sustainability processes and investment returns….

Paradice Investment Management has appointed Stephen Bramley as head of institutional distribution, a new position for the Australian and international small-cap specialist. Bramley has had a lot of experience in similar roles, most recently as head of distribution for Asia Pacific at Pacific Current Group, which was Australia’s first listed multi-affiliate manager, then known as…

Calvert Research and Management and Parametric, two of Eaton Vance’s managers, have combined in Australia for the first time to manage the equities component of Rest Super’s new sustainable growth investment option. Calvert is the US-based ESG specialist acquired by Eaton Vance in 2016. Parametric, an implementation specialist manager which is one of the global…

The Israel Institute of NZ lobbied to halt the exclusion of certain banking stocks from the NZ Superannuation Fund’s portfolio this year, according to recently released documents. In an Official Information Act (OIA) request on April 12, the local Israel association asked for confirmation the NZ Government’s largest super fund had told underlying managers that…

LGIA Super, in the process of merging with Energy Super, last week (April 30) confirmed the appointment of National Asset Servicing as custodian for the new fund. This follows last week’s announcement that LGIA will buy the Suncorp wealth management business, making only the second industry fund to buy a retail-orientated business after First State…

Evergreen Consultants has teamed with Generation Life for the launch of an ESG-orientated multi-manager investment bond, believed to be an industry first. The bond follows a model portfolio developed by Evergreen, called the Responsible Growth Model. The research and ratings firm says the model was created to provide advisers and investors with a long-term portfolio…

After repeated and universal criticism from all major super industry bodies, the Government has agreed to two amendments to its performance benchmark as part of the Government’s proposed Your Future, Your Super legislation. The Government announced last week (April 28) that it would allow the inclusion of infrastructure and unlisted property as well as administration…

Michael Rice officially entered the wind-down period of his career last Friday (April 30) with the completion of the sale of Rice Warner, now to be known as Deloitte Superannuation. All but a handful of administrative staff transferred, moving out of the heritage-listed 2 Martin Place office, around the corner and a few hundred metres…

The China growth story is putting increasing pressure on index providers to maintain the integrity of their indices. Emerging markets indices, for instance, may be becoming irrelevant. According to Rob Lovelace, the president and vice-chairman of Capital Group and one of the world’s most influential investors, the index providers “don’t really want to be the…

While the consensus view of credit markets is that investors should be long, at least one credit manager, Maurice Meijers of Robeco Asset Management, takes the other side. In the global equity and fixed income manager’s quarterly outlook delivered last week (April 22), Meijers, the chief executive of the firm’s Singapore business and a fixed…