The NZ Superannuation Fund (NZS) has notched up back-to-back results as the best-performing and one of the most-sustainable sovereign investment vehicles in the world in a new review of the sector. According to the latest Global SWF report, NZS was among just five government-owned funds to score a perfect 100 per cent in a composite… [Read More…]
Global survey finds funds (almost) all-in on AI
More than 90 per cent of investment managers either use or intend to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) tools to drive efficiencies, super-charge analysis or find alpha, according to a new Mercer global survey. “Current use of AI across investment strategies and research stretches far beyond the traditional ‘quant’ cohort,” the Mercer study says. “Nine out… [Read More…]
IRD flags Kiwi crypto tax crackdown
Kiwi crypto-traders will come under increased scrutiny over tax obligations, the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) warned last week. In a release, IRD spokesperson, Trevor Jeffries, said the tax department had the “tools and the analytics capabilities to identify and expose cryptoasset activities” – and it’s not afraid to use them. “Data we have has helped… [Read More…]
Investing wisdom: four invaluable lessons from my time in the markets
Mint Asset Management portfolio manager, John Middleton, distills decades of investment market experience into its essence… As a seasoned investor and equity analyst, I’ve learned some invaluable lessons from navigating the ups and downs of the stock market over the years. From the dot-com bubble to the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic,… [Read More…]
Apex picks up TE custody, fund-accounting pieces
Trustees Executors (TE) has sold another piece of the business after offloading its custody and fund accounting operations for an undisclosed sum to rival, Apex Group today. The Bermuda-based Apex will add the TE business units – including about 30 people – to its NZ subsidiary (formerly known as MMC) in a further expansion in… [Read More…]
FMA flags red-tape reduction, grey-zone intentions
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has signalled a shift towards a more ‘streamlined’ regulatory style in line with the new government’s anti-red-tape stance in its latest four-year plan. According to the slightly delayed FMA ‘statement of intent’ (SOI) published last week, the regulator will give more weight to the impact of rules on market participants… [Read More…]
Clarity to host Daintree PIE
Clarity Funds Management has formed another fund-hosting arrangement as the front-of-house for an Australia-based fixed income strategy. Under the arrangement registered last week, Clarity – part of the Investment Services Group (ISG) conglomerate – will offer a portfolio investment entity (PIE) version of the Daintree Core Income Fund. “The Fund will invest into the Daintree… [Read More…]
Nikko makes global multi-manager change, hires-up for KiwiSaver push
Nikko Asset Management has added an underlying manager in its global equities fund-of-funds following a ‘hard close’ of another strategy and a subsequent shake-up of that firm’s investment team. Stuart Williams, Nikko NZ chief, said a JPMorgan-run ‘high conviction’ fund would join the group’s global shares multi-manager line-up after some recent changes in another manager… [Read More…]
Veteran ACC investment strategy head hands over duties
Long-time Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) fund head of investment strategy, Tore Hayward, is stepping aside to make way for protégé, Carly Falconer. Hayward has been influential in the local institutional investment world with a pedigree including four years as head of portfolio research at the NZ Superannuation Fund (NZS) before moving to his current ACC… [Read More…]
Former AMP NZ head lobs defamation claim against Australian paper
Jack Regan, ex AMP NZ chief, is suing a national publication across the Tasman over alleged defamatory comments in a 2023 article. Regan, who led the AMP NZ business for 10 years until 2017, lodged court documents last week claiming a report in The Australian in January last year caused him “substantial distress, embarrassment and… [Read More…]