Two of the largest institutional investors in Australia have revealed how they have developed concentrated high risk credit portfolios and built up large cash positions to cope with a low yield environment. Speaking at Conexus Financial’s first annual Fixed Income Forum, James Waldron, manager debt and alternatives at the Future Fund, revealed how cash now stands … Read more
Fixed income is an asset class that has a lot demanded of it. It acts as diversifier, defends against inflation and provides liquidity. But with rates so low, how can it achieve all of this and generate some return? A panel of investors at the Fixed Income Forum debated the solution. Fixed income is a … Read more
The ability of unconstrained fixed income managers to improve on conventional fixed income approaches, was challenged by Graham Ansell, general manager investment management, ANZ at the Fixed Income Forum in Melbourne. In front of a large audience of fixed income portfolio managers, specialist consultants and fund managers, Ansell expressed concern that investors were at danger … Read more
Super funds should not give up in their search for a mutually acceptable definition of defensive and growth assets, urges Paul Caskey, chief investment officer of the South Australia injury insurance scheme ReturntoWork. Caskey, who uses the performance tables of super funds to help benchmark his $3 billion fund, has stepped into a debate that … Read more
A preponderance of highly confident and sometimes arrogant individuals in financial services can inhibit the scope for companies to cope with change, according to one of Australia’s foremost leadership advisors. Kamal Sarma, managing director of Rezilium, believes that the unprecedented pace of change in business has created a greater need for leaders and organisations to … Read more
Over the past few years several direct insurers and reinsurers have exited the superannuation market in Australia over high claims and concerns over poor data, which has done little to help the reduced but still persistent life underinsurance gap. This exit has caused a lack of capacity, particularly reinsurance capacity, and is the biggest problem … Read more
After two years establishing the investment division for Nambawan Super, Papua New Guinea’s largest pension fund, Michael Block has returned to Australia as the chief investment officer of the $7 billion Australian Catholic Superannuation and Retirement Fund. Australian Catholic Super had good performance for many years but a more conservative asset allocation than some others … Read more
Three leading investment experts have called for the debate over how to classify growth and defensive assets to be abandoned, following an exchange of views in Investment Magazine. Over the past 10 days IM has published views from PwC and Sam Sicilia, chief investment officer of HOSTPLUS on the issue. PwC highlighted how differing interpretations … Read more
REST has lauded the contribution of unhedged international equities to its 9.47 per cent return over the past year for its MySuper Super Core Strategy fund. Damian Hill, chief executive officer of REST Industry Super, said international equities is the fund’s largest weighting and was the strongest performer over the past year. “The depreciation of … Read more
The debate on how asset classes are categorised as growth and defensive has arisen again. I can recall debating this many times since superannuation performance surveys began to achieve prominence. The matter is deemed important because it enables super funds to categorise their default option into the central balanced (61 – 80) category and thereby … Read more
The name smart beta originates from Towers Watson and for Tim Unger head of advisory portfolio management at the firm, its key purpose and use by investors is to side step certain expensive fund management products. “It’s enabled investors to substantially reduce the costs of accessing strategies that were largely beta like in nature, but … Read more
The Australian Council of Superannuation Investors (ACSI) has praised the 35 companies on the ASX 200 whose boards comprise of at least 30 per cent women. ACSI is working closely with the Australian chapter of the 30% Club to raise the number of women on boards as part of a revolution in the governance structure … Read more
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Investment Magazine provides in-depth, monthly analysis of trends and developments for all the businesses in which superannuation funds engage‚ including asset allocation, investment manager selection, custody and fund accounting, member administration, group insurance and compliance.
We acknowledge the Traditional Custodians of this land upon which Conexus Financial sits, the Cadigal of the Eora Nation. We recognise their continuing connection and unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and community. We pay our deepest respects to them and their culture, and to Elders both past and present.
