A former senior portfolio manager at Investors Mutual, the head of acquisitions for retail property giant Centro, and a senior marketer at UBS Global Asset Management will launch an Australian equities boutique called Concise Asset Management, with venture capital backing.
Staff departures cost Invesco half a billion at FirstChoice
The decamping of 11 Invesco global fixed interest staff to Deutsche Bank in March has cost the manager dearly, with Colonial First State’s FirstChoice platform stripping it of $500 million.
SSgA looks to seed Australian ‘total return’ fund and pan-Asia quant shop
State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) expects to launch an Australia-focused fund within its global equities total return strategy during the first quarter of calendar 2008, while seeking seed money for a newly-built Asia ex-Japan vehicle.
Australian ‘anti-carbon’ hedge fund to enter market
Multi-strategy hedge fund ArkX will enter global renewable energy markets and look to invest in companies producing clean development mechanisms (CDMs) in early December, drawing on founders’ money and an institutional mandate as seed capital.
BUSS(Q) pushes for mandates with after-tax benchmarks
BUSS(Q)is negotiating with its Australian equities managers to rescind pooled trust investments and move into mandates with after-tax benchmarks.
ASSET terminates GMO, Macquarie mandates, seeks to insource rebalancing
ASSET Super has terminated a $45 million Australian equities mandate with GMO, and made an appointment aimed at allowing it to insource its passive rebalancing of portfolios.
Our favourite three infrastructure funds are all global listed: Zenith
The top three infrastructure funds are all in the global listed space, according to a review of the expanding universe of infrastructure investment options by research provider Zenith Investment Partners.
Portfolio Partners puts on three analysts
Australian equities fund manager Portfolio Partners has beefed up its research capability with the hire of two investment analysts, with a third understood to be joining soon.
Caledonia investment boss resigns suddenly
The investment chief of the $3.5 billion fund manager Caledonia (Private) Investments resigned last week for personal reasons, according to the firm’s chief operating officer.
JPMorgan upgrades Hi-Port as alternatives growth beckons
JPMorgan Worldwide Securities Services (WSS) in Australia has upgraded to the HiPortfolio 3 administration system, just as it has won its first private equity funds management client in Australia.
BNP Paribas SS on hunt for another ops head
BNP Paribas Securities Services (BNP PSS) is searching for a new co-head of operations, after Darren Booth resigned after six months in the role.
State Street a happy guinea pig after Swiftnet derivatives trial
State Street Investor Services claims to have improved its capability to perform derivative transactions, going live this month with new Swiftnet messages which can communicate in financial product market language(FpML)for the first time.
