The Magnificent Seven is a catchy moniker but investors have been warned that not all of them will live up to the name. In fact, some active equity shops are ready to pounce on the non-discerning market by gaining exposure to the ‘Formidable Two’ – best of the best names in the Magnificent Seven that will likely alone outperform the group.
Insignia Financial has picked up talent from life insurer TAL to create a new strategy and innovation team with a focus on driving innovation in retirement solutions for the MLC Wealth brand.
Some asset owners believe active ownership has become a strong portfolio diversifier and that taking an informed “interventional stance” with companies can add value. Other times, active ownership is an important part of damage control, including in cases such as the recent WiseTech scandal.
As the biggest fish in the pond, AustralianSuper’s behaviour as an activist shareholder is bound to attract attention and criticism. But its roles in recent corporate actions involving WiseTech and Mineral Resources, and earlier involving Origin Energy, suggests the $342 billion behemoth has a clear playbook for dealing with perceived ESG issues in its investee companies. The boards of every company it invests in should take note.
AustralianSuper’s first chief retirement officer, Shawn Blackmore, is leaving after 17 years with the super fund.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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”.
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.
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.
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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.
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