Super

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.

The two funds are pressing on with their “merger of equals” after hammering out the new entity’s board and leadership structure, promising complementary capabilities across retirement and advice, as well as fee savings for members.

Nearly every Australian has super, but its settings don’t work for every Australian, according to the First Nations Foundation, which is advocating for changes around estate planning and the preservation age to make the system fairer.

Some members are excited for retirement, while others approach it with a “real sense of shame and fear”. Funds are going to have to figure out how to cater to both groups or risk failing them all.

Opening up early access to super for housing would have a negative effect on the balances of even those members that don’t dig into their savings, with funds forced to adopt more conservative investment strategies and hold more liquid assets.