AustralianSuper chief retirement officer departs
AustralianSuper’s first chief retirement officer, Shawn Blackmore, is leaving after 17 years with the super fund.
Preparing – not predicting – the key to portfolio resilience
Portfolio resilience is the latest buzzword but the first thing to understand is that it does not only mean a portfolio’s ability to withstand drawdowns. Secondly, building resilient portfolios isn’t about predicting bad scenarios, but preparing for them, the Investment Magazine Fiduciary Investors Symposium has heard.
Avoid ‘naive decarbonisation’ in fixed income portfolios
Decarbonisation of fixed income portfolios is a complicated conversation for asset owners, and even more so for Australian super funds which cannot afford too much tracking error, thanks to the stringent guidelines of Your Future Your Super. However, Robeco head of fixed income, Erik van Leeuwen, argued that it is quite feasible to design government and corporate bond portfolios that target a material carbon reduction without excessive impact on risk and return, if investors are smart with their approach.
US election pivotal but experts warn against catastrophising
Just days out from the 2024 US presidential election, the two major candidates both have multiple pathways to success and in an incredibly tight race such as this, any slight shift in voter sentiment could significantly tip the scale. Leading academics dissect the political dynamics at play and explain why despite the importance of the election, we should avoid catastrophising.
APRA releases FY23 expense data for super funds
The prudential regulator has release fund-level expenditure data for superannuation funds, including investment-related expenses, as well as administration and other expenditure, such as advertising, sponsorship and payments to industrial bodies.
China or India remains the biggest EM question
The world of emerging markets equities is ever evolving, but the $140 billion UniSuper believes that at least in the foreseeable future, the one big question in the asset class will still be China or India. Head of global equities Thomas Tam explains the fund’s thinking around the “margin of safety”.
US monetary policy shows signs of risks: Bridgewater
Bridgewater Associates said policymakers around the globe are currently navigating new “limits”. But the US, arguably the most important economy of them all, is showing signs of risks in its monetary policy and putting the nation’s institutional credibility on the line, the Fiduciary Investors Symposium has heard.
Cbus governance issues concerning: Morningstar
Morningstar has raised concerns over profit-to-member fund Cbus, citing talent retention, governance and union influence issues. The researcher noted the loss of top-level talent this year, including chief strategy officer Alexandra West and deputy CIO Alexandra Campbell.
Why there’s no ‘best’ investment model for super funds
A paper published ahead of the Investment Magazine Fiduciary Investors Symposium starting on Tuesday outlines the challenges and considerations for Australian trustees in determining an optimal investment model for their funds. The paper published by 1886 Consulting says there is no single “best” approach, and even emulating the world-leading Canadian model isn’t for everyone.
AMP makes senior hires in super and investment team
AMP has made two senior appointments to its super and investment team, reporting to group executive of the division Melinda Howes.
Welcome to the party: Why ESG is now part of the mainstream
ESG factors are now integral to the investment and risk decisions of large institutional investors such as super funds, although some hurdles remain for ESG to achieve its full potential, including the quality and integrity of the data needed to help inform those investment calls. But ultimately, the only thing that really matters is member outcomes, and that can’t be measured in investment terms alone.
Behind AustralianSuper’s global expansion
London-based AustralianSuper deputy CIO Damian Moloney oversees the global expansion plans of Australia’s largest superannuation fund. While a global presence has clear benefits for the fund and its members, Moloney’s advice to others contemplating the same is to plan extensively and build early.
