Investment News

Nikko Asset Management’s newly-appointed independent director would provide valuable insight into financial technology opportunities as well as access to the upper echelons of the country’s high net worth networks, according to head of the NZ business, George Carter. Carter said Tracey Jones, named as Nikko NZ independent non-executive director last week, had a “skill-set that… [Read More…]

Fund investors globally have tilted to the bond market over the last month, figures from the Institute of International Finance (IIF) show. According to the IIF, a global financial services industry body boasting 500 members across 70 jurisdictions, fixed income products accounted for about US$37 billion of the US$60 billion-odd worldwide flows into managed funds… [Read More…]

Early-stage investment vehicle, the Punakaiki Fund, has raced past the $30 million mark – or about a third of its ultimate pre market-listing target – following a new round of wholesale capital-raising. Lance Wiggs, Punakaiki founder and manager, said the wholesale offer – due to close out this week – would come in somewhere “between… [Read More…]

Carol Geremia believes investors are coming around in the recognition of the performance problems associated with short-termism. She likes to quote Warren Buffet: “Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre.” And, at least in part, the growing recognition and adoption of ESG principals and strategies is helping open investors’… [Read More…]

NZ interest rates are more likely to head down, if anything, over the next 12 months, according to Harbour head of fixed income, Christian Hawkesby. In an analysis published last week, Hawkesby says the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) may have to cut the official cash rate (OCR) below the current record low of… [Read More…]

The head of Australasian equities at New Zealand’s largest fund manager has handed in his notice to take up the newly-created chief investment officer (CIO) role at a leading boutique shop. As at November this year, Mark Brown, will end a 15-year career with the $25 billion ANZ Investments – including three years in his… [Read More…]

Russell Investments has targeted a 50 per cent carbon footprint shrinkage in a new global equities solution soon to be offered in the Australasian market. Alister van der Maas, Russell NZ chief, said the index-based strategy takes a multi-faceted approach in slashing carbon exposure by half and increasing tilts to ‘sustainable’ stocks without inducing excessive… [Read More…]

The New Zealand Superannuation Fund (NZS) will measure performance against a new reference portfolio following its $950 million switch to carbon-lite investing. Under the changes both the new carbon elements and other previously-implemented environmental, social and governance (ESG) exclusions will be included in the reference portfolio – one of the two NZS investment performance metrics…. [Read More…]

The NZX has bumped back the transfer of new client assets to its investment platform by at least three months citing “complexity of the transition process and aligning third-part[y] activities”. In its half-year results presentation published last week, the NZX says a “second client implementation” on the NZX Wealth Technologies platform (formerly known as Apteryx)… [Read More…]

Global bond investors are in a sweet spot, according to Hunter Investments chief, Tony Hildyard, with gradual rate hikes providing positive reinforcement to returns. Hildyard said while rapid interest rate hikes can sour fixed income markets with capital losses, the current gentle incline up the yield curve actually suits diversified bond investors. He said PIMCO,… [Read More…]