News

London-based global manager Man Group has launched a high-conviction Asia ex-Japan equities strategy following the recruitment of Andrew Swan from BlackRock and a small team to be based in Sydney and Hong Kong. Swan, who spent the past nine years running, at first, BlackRock’s Asian fundamental equities strategies and then Asian-plus-emerging-markets funds, has focused on…

NAB Asset Servicing and client Suncorp have signed a new contract for custody and a range of other back and middle-office services following a complicated on-again off-again relationship between the two banks dating back to 2013. The new contract, expected to be announced this week, lays to rest several years of uncertainty over the relationship,…

There are things to like and dislike about the Government Retirement Income Review for both sides of politics. And, also, to like and dislike about providing ‘observations’ rather than ‘recommendations’. But neither has quelled debate. In his opening comments at a webinar last Friday (November 27), Martin Fahey, the chief executive of ASFA, said it…

Equity Venture Partners has announced the first close for its third fund, at $50 million. The Sydney-based venture capital manager is now working on a final close for the offering. EVP, which has joined with Brookvine and Spire Capital for the next fund raising, is an early stage business-to-business software investor with a 15-year track…

Excess returns from active equities managers in emerging markets have declined steadily for more than 15 years and, while fees have come off too, mainstream managers should look at further reductions, according to Frontier Advisors. In its latest research note, ‘Active Management in Emerging Markets’, Frontier says the investors could consider emerging markets (EM) small…

The debate over climate change has been too polarised along political lines, says politician Zali Steggal. It should be about setting hard targets, says one of Australia’s biggest investors, Damian Graham. Graham, the CIO of Aware Super, and Steggall, the conservative independent federal MP for Warringah in Sydney, joined with three others for a webinar…

Global real estate investment management firm Heitman has committed to the ambitious target of becoming net carbon neutral for its global private equity real estate portfolio by 2030. Laura Craft, Chicago-based senior v.p., head of global ESG strategy, says that Heitman has had a strong ESG culture for many years, involving the adoption of ESG…

Longlead Capital Partners, the boutique long/short equities manager formed by two key players in the success of Regal Funds Management, has launched a traditional unlisted unit trust to allow better access to its strategies among Australian and New Zealand investors. Longlead, founded by Tim Campbell and Andrew West in 2014, has so far produced some…

Asian Pacific nations have done so well during the battle against COVID-19 compared with their western peers that they have “turned the corner” in the evolution of the region, according to a leading academic, Professor Kishore Mahbubani. He told a regional investor webinar from Singapore last week (November 19), which was organised by Amundi Asset…

Research Affiliates, the global smart-beta manager and advisory group, has called on institutional investors to pressure companies over their reporting of green-house gas emissions. Forward-looking reporting is proving useless, a new study reveals. In a webinar for Australian and New Zealand investors and advisers last week (November 18), Vitali Kalesnik, Research Affiliates partner and director…

by Johann Plé* In July, US President-elect Joe Biden announced plans to spend US$2 trillion (A$2.74 trillion) to progress the use of clean energy in areas including transportation, electricity generation and construction over the next four years. As part of a group of proposals designed to tackle the growing threat of climate change across the US, this was the first such major commitment from a US leader –…

AMP Capital’s purchase of a small social infrastructure fund from the Royal Bank of Scotland 10 years ago has become a rare beacon of hope for the troubled manager riding an ESG trend and the search for stability in an uncertain world. The AMP Capital Community Infrastructure Fund, known internally as CommIF, now has 19…