Vanguard has signalled a strategic tilt towards more directly controlled advice and distribution after flagging the launch of a new division last week headed by former Fidelity head of personal investing, Joanna Rotenberg. The passive investment giant already oversees about US$900 billion through a range of advisory options in several jurisdictions from a robo-service through… [Read More…]
Investment News
Cyber-risk, high-impact systemic ‘event’ ping on 2025 fear gauge; Harbour turns spotlight on elephants and flares
Inflation, US monetary policy and bank-stress all faded as investor fear factors in 2024 while cyber-risk recorded the biggest scare-jump as measured by global financial markets infrastructure giant, DTCC. DTCC, short for the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation, found cyber-risk leapt from fourth to second in its annual ‘Systemic Risk Barometer Survey’ published last week… [Read More…]
Emerging Asia, private assets top pension fund favourite destinations
Global pension funds are leaning to Asian emerging markets and private assets for better risk-adjusted returns, according to the latest annual survey of the sector by UK-based research house, Create. The study, sponsored by French fund group Amundi Asset Management, says following the end of the ‘great moderation’ – a 25-year period of stable growth… [Read More…]
Reversion to the myth: why investors have the equity risk premium backwards
If you have a spare 20 years, investing in shares is supposed to be a no-brainer. Time in the market; the line slopes up. But in a new paper, Research Affiliates (RAFI) founder, Rob Arnott, says history offers alternative lessons, too. “Our industry largely ignores the low but hardly negligible possibility of negative real returns… [Read More…]
Time to pick your targets in private markets: Federated Hermes
The amount of money rushing into private markets asset classes has made them more efficient, and investors will need to be more selective – and peruse different opportunity sets – if they want to meet their great expectations. Uncertainty around the US election and the course of interest rates has given way to an extended… [Read More…]
ANZ-Mercer deal collapses
Mercer and ANZ Investments have walked away from a planned fund services agreement after more than 15 months of talks. An ANZ spokesperson said in a statement: “We have decided not to proceed with an investment partnership with Mercer, having agreed with Mercer the partnership would not achieve its expected goals.” It is understood Mercer… [Read More…]
FMA hits ‘pause’ on fund climate disclosure disclosures
The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has backed down on plans to require fund managers to reference climate statements in other disclosure documents following lukewarm industry reaction to proposed guidance. In a November update, the FMA says it has “decided to pause work” on an information sheet put out to consultation this July set to load… [Read More…]
MAS replaces Bancorp in wins for JBWere, Nikko; Kōura joins high-growth club; another Castle Pointer for ForBar
The FirstCape-owned JBWere has picked up oversight of almost all asset classes in KiwiSaver and investment funds offered by medical sector financial services specialist, MAS, in a move that also saw its long-time NZ fixed income and cash manager dumped. Under the changes revealed last week, Bancorp has been replaced by JBWere as investment manager… [Read More…]
Platforms count billions; Booster transaction PIE wins global plaudits
InvestNow has burst through the $2 billion barrier a little more than seven years post launch. Founded in 2017, the online investment platform hit the milestone last week after clocking up its fastest growth year since the immediate post COVID bump as funds under management jumped 30 per cent and client numbers breached 30,000 Mike… [Read More…]
De-spending trends reduce retirement lump sum pressure, actuaries find
Adequate lump sum savings at retirement age could be 40 per cent lower than commonly assumed after taking into account typical spending slow-downs post age 65, according to a just-released NZ actuarial study. The analysis by the Retirement Income Interest Group (RIIG) found the average New Zealander spends about 2 per cent less on average… [Read More…]