COVID-19

The job of global custodians is about to get a lot more important as the spread of new technologies takes hold throughout the investment world. A recent paper by Northern Trust’s asset servicing arm ‘reimagines’ the investment world in 2030, looking at what a fully digital world is likely to involve. Over the last decade,…

Central bank largesse lubricated the relatively squeak-free ride of the global asset management industry through the COVID-19 crisis to date, but liquidity risks remain high, according to a new Amundi Asset Management report. In a ‘blue paper’ published last week, Amundi says only 117 out of the 35,000 funds sold in Europe froze redemptions since…

Like everyone, Eben Bowditch, head of sales at Invesco Australia, was trying to navigate the abnormal and difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic and wondering about the wellbeing of others. Was everyone feeling as disconnected as he was? Bowditch started to think about a way of creating stronger links among the financial services community. Other…

This week we had the pleasure of speaking with the exceptional Fabio Ferro, Director of Scala Private Wealth. Specialising in investment advice for high-net-worth families, Fabio is an avid writer and outspoken market commentator. Here’s what he had to say: Favourite weekend activity in COVID-19 lockdown? Heading out cycling with my boys. What was your…

Before last week’s positive COVID-19 test, there was little doubt President Trump was on the comeback trail. Amid signs of an economic recovery, positivity around hopes for a vaccine, and progress on another fiscal stimulus package, all was looking up for a second term. Then came the ‘Presidential Debate,’ in which Trump brought Democratic candidate…

Integrity Life secured $43 million in their recent series B round of funding. There was a strong interest in the raise, that took place before and during COVID-19. Given the instability of the global economy, this significant investment is being viewed by the market as further endorsement of the importance of Integrity’s digital-led positioning. The…

This week we interviewed Co-founder and Co-CEO Orni Daniel from Gefen Technologies, an Israeli-based digital distribution platform that has been initially aimed at Australia’s insurance market. The company is looking at an ASX listing towards the end of the year. After speaking with Daniel, it was immediately apparent that Gefen Technologies has built what looks…

The S&P 500 Index reached a historic high on February 19th of this year, only to break that record less than six months later. On its face this sounds reasonable, however when considering the unprecedented nature of the events that transpired in-between, this is downright shocking. Over this six-month period the S&P 500 realised its…

They say that the first year of a new business is the hardest. Although there were moments when it felt like it might be, it hasn’t turned out that way for Sam Lecornu, Duke Lo and John Lam, partners in new Hong Kong-based Asian fund manager Stonehorn Global Partners. From a standing start in June…

There are probably few things more certain to glaze the eyes of investors than discussing risk-adjusted returns or efficient frontiers, never mind Sharpe ratios and the like. To be transparent, how many within the industry really focus on these statistics when creating a portfolio? As the momentum shifts away from 60/40 portfolios, the traditional volatility…