Super

While equities came out of the blocks like Usain Bolt in January, propelled by strong domestic and international share markets, a White House committed to tariffs and slowing interest rate cuts could still derail investment returns in 2025.

You can’t try and forecast every twist and turn, but you can prepare your portfolio to handle them. Brighter Super is piling into active equities and eyeing more infrastructure investments to navigate a volatile macro backdrop.

UK pension giant Nest will soon join a roster of industry super fund shareholders as it takes a 10 per cent stake in IFM Investors and looks to grow its private market allocations.

There are fewer super funds, and associations that represent them, than ever before. But multiple layers of industry representation working at cross-purposes means that true unity has remained elusive, according to the Financial Services Council.

After a year that will live in infamy for the construction industry fund, Cbus has announced double digit returns across two of its products. Meanwhile, CIO Brett Chatfield is scrutinising the potential market impact of Trump’s policy agenda.

Super funds will soon be subject to mandatory service standards aimed at improving member experience following a series of administration failures at funds like Cbus and AustralianSuper.

The back-office provider formerly known as Link Market Services has struck a deal with the IT consultancy arm of giant Indian conglomerate Tata to upgrade its client offerings.

The industry fund has taken a 49 per cent stake in subscription vehicle provider Splend alongside IFM and other co-investors as it looks to build a 10 per cent exposure to climate solutions in its global portfolio.

After years of powering super returns into the double digits, US equities are walking a tightrope, and one misstep could send them plunging to earth. But the story that put them up there in the first place still holds true.

The $300 billion profit-to-member fund has linked up with Oxford Properties for a portfolio of high-quality European industrial and logistics assets that it wants to expand significantly over the next three to five years.

With two years of double-digit super returns under its belt, Colonial First State’s investment team is taking a hard look at markets and moving money to areas where they think they’ll make more of it.

With three separate businesses now combined under the Insignia banner, MLC Asset Management CIO Dan Farmer says his focus is no longer on “fixing problems” but on driving returns – and he’s looking to niche asset classes to do it.