“The strategy governs the fund completely,” says Steve Bracks, chairman of the Cbus board. “It determines the budget and sets priorities.” Those priorities include positioning the fund to be the “complete” fund that covers the entire building and construction industry, including the 45 per cent it currently doesn’t represent in whitecollar professions such as architecture. “We … Read more
Asset-liability management (ALM) denotes the adaptation of the portfolio-management process in order to handle the presence of various constraints relating to the commitments that represent the liabilities of an investor. Academic research has suggested that suitable extensions of portfolio-optimisation techniques used by institutional investors (for example, pension funds) could be usefully transposed to the context of private wealth management precisely because they have … Read more
Institutional investors across the Asia-Pacific region are set to increase their allocations to exchange traded products (ETPs), according to a survey commissioned by State Street Global Advisors. Conducted in August this year by Greenwich Associates, the survey found that 40 per cent of those surveyed planned to lift their ETP allocations in coming years, with … Read more
Capital International, part of the Capital Group is beefing up its presence in Australia with the opening of a representative office late last year and the launch of its Emerging Markets Total Opportunities Fund for both institutional and retail investors. Paul Hennessy, a former Macquarie banker who was appointed Capital’s Australian head last year, says … Read more
Having been blessed with more than a passable sense of rhythm, it was no surprise that I completely blitzed the field in the Elvis competition at the SuperRatings 10th anniversary awards in Melbourne last Thursday. A group of 50-somethings in penguin suits were plucked randomly from the crowd, myself among them, and we were commanded … Read more
Changes to Perennial Investments’ real-estate investment team have prompted managed-funds research firm Zenith Investment Partners to place Perennial’s Australian and global property funds under review. An “under review” flag means the research firm needs further details of the substance of the changes and the likely effect they will have on the manager’s investment process, and … Read more
BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNP Paribas) today announced the appointment of Katharine Seymour as the new head of relationship management for its Australian ‘asset owner’ clients. Seymour assumes responsibility for the team managing relationships and service delivery for BNP Paribas’ clients in this core client group that includes superannuation funds, government entities and insurance companies. … Read more
BT Investment Management has launched a new series of equity-income products which the firm’s chief executive, Emilio Gonzalez, believes will compete with term deposits and hybrid issues for inflows among retirees and those approaching retirement. The BT Equity Income series comprises two open-ended Australian equity funds, which target returns of 8.5 per cent or 10 … Read more
Chicago-based William Blair Investment Manager is the latest global asset manager to announce it will set up operations in Australia. William Blair, which manages around US$47 billion across equities, hedge funds and fixed income, has announced the appointment of two-decade industry veteran Alex Francois to head its Australian and New Zealand distribution, which is squarely … Read more
Frontier Investment Consulting’s deputy director of consulting, Kristian Fok, is leaving to join Cbus Super as executive manager of investment strategy. Fok, who has been with Frontier for 14 years, will join Cbus in December in a role he describes as a “great new challenge.” “I worked with Cbus last year as they went through … Read more
Insurance was emerging as a potential differentiator as funds and financial services providers design their MySuper products, according to speakers at the AIA-Conexus Financial Group Insurance Summit in October. Damian Hill, chief executive officer of REST Industry Super, told the summit that his fund was “looking to take advantage” of the opportunity to include innovative insurance options in its MySuper product. Insurance was part of the … Read more
A study by AXA Investment Managers of Europe’s top 50 companies shows that those with a greater percentage of board members from emerging market economies source more of those revenues from those markets. Matt Christensen, AXA’s Paris-based head of responsible investment is in Australia to launch a new environmental, social and governance (ESG) framework for … 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.
