News

by Greg Bright Several big funds management firms, super funds and other service providers – probably more than we know – have instituted what we have all been expecting. They have made some senior, and a lot more junior, people redundant or moved them into part-time roles. Forget what the Government is trying to do,…

What better year than this for Chant West to adopt a ‘sustainability’ theme for its super fund Awards night, going ahead on May 14, via livestream. It’s actually in the daytime, too. So, no need for a black tie or little black dress. Click here to register The finalists in the final two awards, each…

The investable world of class actions is hotting up. Just as one big administrator, Goal Group, established an Asia Pacific office in Melbourne last month, now another big firm, Financial Recovery Technologies, has recruited father and son Brian and Lachlan Slade, to aid its expansion. Brian Slade was formerly the head of Australia and New…

Two senior marketers have left their firms this month, Ian Perkins at BNP Paribas Securities Services and Phillip Filippelis from BNY Mellon Investment Management, both based in Sydney. Neither was free to comment last week. Perkins had been with BNP Paribas Securities Services since early 2014, most recently as ‘head of asset owners’ for Asia…

The prestigious MIT Sloan School of Management, with the assistance of State Street, has produced a paper which questions long-held assumptions about the true volatility of private equity investments. It is particularly relevant right now when some big investors are under attack from conservative politicians. As reported in last week’s Investor Strategy News, Australian Liberal…

While multi-asset strategies have gained popularity in recent years, mostly due to Schroders’ success in Australia and internationally, they are not all the same. Morningstar has produced a report to help investors choose an appropriate multi-asset manager. The Morningstar report focuses on the recent market volatility, so it may not be a good long-term assessment….

by David Chaplin Morninstar, formerly a minority shareholder in the world’s largest ESG research house, Sustainalytics, has bought the whole company for an extra A$300 million. The deal gives Morningstar a leg-up into the institutional space, which has been a weakness for the firm. Morningstar announced last week that it was acquiring the outstanding 60…

A recent client note from the big global technology company SS&C says there is a growing need for “flexibility, agility and resiliency” in both technology and operating models. While this might seem, at first glance, an obvious statement, it probably deserves some thought. The client note, ‘Future Super: The Need to be Flexible’ says that,…

by Greg Bright The cash holdings of big super funds outweigh any projected drawdowns because of the Government’s $20,000 early-release program for disadvantaged members by a big factor, according to figures compiled by Rainmaker Information. In fact, super funds have nearly $400 billion in ‘allocated’ cash and even more in ‘operational’ cash held mainly by…

by Alex Dunnin* In an endeavour to calm down the speculation around the COVID crisis and super fund liquidity, Rainmaker Information compiled a tally of March investment returns from 15 MySuper products run by not for profit (NFP) funds that declare daily unit prices or daily crediting rates. The results are that, in March, NFP super funds…

In 1999, towards the end of the internet bubble, there was a lot of talk about people now being able to work from home and, perhaps, being more productive and happier in their jobs, sounding the death knell for mainstream office space. It didn’t happen. Will it happen this time after we come through COVID-19?…

by Greg Bright Jim Savage and I were collaborating on an analytical article to attempt to ascertain the importance of luck in funds management. Suddenly, we may not be able to meet in person again for six months or more. But David Walsh, the gambler of MONA fame, has come to the rescue. His last…