Good and bad news for bond investors in high government debts

Concerns around global governments running unprecedented debt levels have been well-documented, but PGIM’s top fixed income strategist Robert Tipp said this new reality has both good and bad news for bond investors. The key lies in different nations’ economic approaches.

TCorp revamp to deliver $400m boost to NSW Government

Since early September, 10 of TCorp’s client portfolios have operated under a new investment structure, dubbed OneFund. Chief investment officer Stewart Brentnall told the Fiduciary Investors Symposium that the reorganisation is expected to deliver an additional $400 million to $450 million to the NSW Government every year.

Magnificent Seven? More like the ‘Formidable Two’

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.

Why super funds need to get wise to active ownership

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.

WiseTech upheaval highlights super fund behind-the-scenes playbook

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.

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.