News

Australia, for once, is one of the top countries in its budgetary response to the current crisis, at more than 10 per cent of GDP in federal government-promised spending. The Australian States and Territories have added to this amount. It’s probably around 15-16 per cent in total. How do we recover that money when the…

Zenith Investment Partners, controlled by private equity firm Five V Capital, and Chant West Holdings, a listed company which includes the software business Enzumo, are considered likely to reach an accommodation regarding their previously agreed merger. Zenith called off its part in the merger last week, but Chant West is disputing the action. While none…

Chant West has cancelled its annual black-tie awards night, scheduled to be held, this year in conjunction with Conexus Financial, in Sydney on May 14. But the research firm will hold a virtual version of its awards through a live stream to highlight the achievements of the finalists and winners. Brendan Burwood, Chant West managing…

David Bell, the executive director of the Conexus Institute investment and social research body, announced last week that most of the organisation’s efforts would be devoted to analysing and advising on the impact of the coronavirus. It has suspended some projects accordingly. Bell, a former fund manager and CIO of Mine industry fund, said: “The…

In the current circumstances big funds are likely to have to sell at least some illiquid assets, presenting them with an operational issue. Enter the aptly named Melting Point Solutions, a San Francisco-based global specialist broker, represented in Australia and New Zealand by Allen Partners. Scott Riedel, an Allen Partners partner, says that there are…

Frontier Advisors last month published its initial views on the dramatic shift in the global macro-economic environment which suggested the Australian economy could contract by 6 per cent in 2020 due to Covid-19. The firm will today publish a follow-up short paper for clients, which shows some optimism given the fiscal response of Australia’s federal…

Investor Strategy News will not be published next week, Easter Monday (April 13), a public holiday. We’re having a break. Believe it or not, it is more difficult to produce a media title in lockdown compared with being out and about. But the media has a long history of taking the Tuesday after Easter off….

A total of about 260 global asset owners, including 30-odd Australian fiduciary investors, completed a survey instituted by research and asset manager allocation firm bfinance late last week on how they are responding to the current COVID-9 crisis. We are more pessimistic than most other big investors. The survey also asked whether they were satisfied with…

Research Affiliates, the company which some folks think invented smart beta, even though they didn’t call it that back then, is expanding in Australasia. But its founder, Rob Arnott, is pre-occupied at the moment. Research Affiliates (RA) spends a lot of time looking at risks. And there’s a big one happening at the moment. Arnott,…

by Greg Bright It never rains but it pours. John Streur, the president and chief executive of US specialist ESG manager Calvert Research and Management, based in Washington, was scheduled to speak at three gatherings in Australia two weeks ago. They were all cancelled. His message is still clear, though. And it is about the…

Managed accounts allow financial planners to become ‘more professional’, according to Toby Potter, the chair of IMAP. They now represent almost 10 per cent of all the wholesale/retail money on platforms. They have now eclipsed ETFs in assets under management after a 28 per cent rise last year. Not that the two are mutually exclusive….

Warakirri Asset Management has appointed Joe Marassa to the newly created position of head of ‘marketing and product’. Based in Sydney, this role will report to Jim McKay, Melbourne-based managing director. In this role, Marassa will lead the marketing, product and digital strategy for Warakirri as well as being part of the leadership team. He…