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For CI Financial, the new controlling shareholder of multi-affiliate manager Grant Samuel Funds Management, Australia represents one of its three most important markets for growth. More local acquisitions and a roll-out of new products and strategies can be expected. The acquisition of 80 per cent of GSFM last year was the first significant move by…

by David Chaplin PIMCO’s former man in New Zealand, Tony Hildyard, is roaring back into the market with the launch of a new NZ$200 million-plus global fixed income fund managed by his ex-employer. Hildyard said the new fund, to be marketed under the recently-established Hunter Investment Funds brand, was the first PIMCO-managed product structured specifically…

Post-truth  By Craig Mercer* Post-truth /pəʊs(t)ˈtruːθ/ adjective relating to or denoting circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. Oxford Dictionary In late 2016, Oxford Dictionaries announced the word post-truth was its ‘word of the year’.  The organisation determining that, while the word had been used…

The fifth annual Chant West Awards presentation will be held on May 24 at a black-tie event at Sydney’s Ivy Ballroom. The Awards night has been sold out every year so far, and the same is expected this year. Tickets will go on sale from today (February 6). The analysis that goes into selecting the…

Mine Wealth + Wellbeing, the $10 billion industry super fund, has continued to expand its executive team and the breadth of its responsibilities. The two latest appointments are for a ‘chief technology and innovation officer’ and for a ‘chief engagement officer’. The fund’s expansion, coinciding with a change of name from the old Auscoal in…

There will be little-to-no change in BlackRock’s arrangements in Australia and New Zealand, but the news of JP Morgan’s $1 trillion new securities services mandate shocked the custody and administration world last week. BlackRock has reassigned about 20 per cent of its US$5 trillion in assets under management and administration to JP Morgan and away,…

Wilson Asset Management has called on the directors of Hunter Hall to “do the right thing” following their rejection last week of an equal-access share buyback. Recent market activity reflects retail investors exiting, corporate manoeuvrings and Wilson’s buying, the manager said Friday. The response by Wilson Asset Management, a significant shareholder in Hunter Hall’s listed…

Australia’s biggest super funds, most of which have been on an insourcing path for their investments over several years, should take note of what’s happening at Harvard and Yale. The US endowments have been a guiding light for how to manage a long-term investment fund. One still is, the other is no longer. Rivalry between…

by David Chaplin The New Zealand Superannuation Fund is spearheading efforts to create a united Māori investment vehicle capable of tapping into big-end-of-town private equity deals, with potentially NZ$6 billion (A$5.8 billion) up for unification. As part of its broader ‘investment hub’ initiative announced last year, NZ Super will host a ‘hui’ – or community…

Unlisted infrastructure will also be impacted by expected volatility and higher interest rates this year, but the negative and positive may well cancel each other out, unlike listed assets. In a relative sense, unlisted infrastructure should be more stable in the aftermath of last year’s major and unexpected global events, such as the Trump presidency…

By Greg Bright Supervised Investments Australia Ltd (SIAL), a family office-style boutique fund manager, has recruited a new chief executive tasked with building the business through an expanded product range and investment capabilities. Family office expansion is a trend. Michael Ohlsson, who started his new role this month, is a former chief executive of Fidelity…

The $4.3 billion Queensland Government workers’ compensation and insurance business, WorkCover Queensland, has recruited Bruce Watson as its new chief executive. Watson has already moved, with his wife, to Brisbane from picturesque Lake Macquarie, north of Newcastle, NSW, for the role, which commenced on January 2. His recruitment followed the retirement of Tony Hawkins, who…