News

With an experienced engineer at the helm, one with a major in ‘mechatronics’ – a blend of mechanical and electronics engineering – and who has spent all his career in medical devices, Australian Unity’s new ‘Future of Healthcare’ fund is looking to add value to its investee companies. Victor Windeyer, the portfolio manager of the…

Listed infrastructure manager 4D is looking to widen its distribution reach to include the institutional market as it approaches a five-year track record of strong performance. The boutique, founded by CIO Sarah Shaw and global equity strategist Greg Goodsall in 2015, is a part of the Bennelong Funds Management multi-affiliate group. Its concentrated global portfolio…

Almost all global pension investors expect post-COVID financial markets to follow a ‘W’ path or play an accordion-like tune, a new survey has found. Whatever the shape of the future, it will not be smooth. The study, by UK-based research firm Create, shows almost half of the respondents projected a W-shaped recovery ahead while 36…

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…