Investment News

Objectives-based investing will shape funds management in future, especially with individual investors, who will continue to pay for manager insights but not so much for systematic strategies, according to Matt Olsen, the chief executive of Lonsec Research. Olsen spoke last week at a briefing on ‘The Future of Funds Management’ organised by Pengana Capital for… [Read More…]

The Financial Markets Authority (FMA) has given the hurry-up to non-standard investment schemes to prepare for the imminent licensing regime. In a release last week, the FMA reminded property funds – including syndications – of their impending Financial Markets Conduct Act (FMC) obligations while also issuing a guide for forestry schemes. Most mainstream fund managers… [Read More…]

An almost capacity crowd filled out The Great Room in Auckland’s Langham Hotel last Thursday night as over 800 finance industry professionals and assorted hangers-on convened at the 14th annual INFINZ Awards. The prizes spanned 15 categories including best equity and bond manager with Salt Funds Management and Fisher Funds respective winners. Headed by Paul… [Read More…]

New Zealand fund managers would do well to watch the fee disclosure debate currently erupting in the UK, according to Guy Dobson, head of Dynamique, a technical financial research, CPD and performance risk firm. Dobson said the recent move by high-profile UK manager, Neil Woodford, to publish ‘all up’ fund costs “in an easy-to-find and… [Read More…]

Wellington-based funds management firm, Implemented Investment Solutions (IIS), has appointed a new independent director. Earlier this month IIS, which provides the portfolio investment entity (PIE) wrapping and distribution for a range of five Russell Investments funds, named Ian Russon as its new independent board member. Russon works in the Institutional Banking division of BNZ where he… [Read More…]

Suncorp CIO, Nick Basile, will retire from his position at the end of June and is looking to pursue a small number of non-executive director roles in the industry. A search is underway for his replacement. Basile’s career in funds management spans nearly four decades and traces the modern history of the superannuation industry. He… [Read More…]

In a busy month for appointments, the under-review superannuation and KiwiSaver industry body, Workplace Savings NZ (WSNZ) has plumped for a new chair as part of its triennial Council refreshment. Under the Council reshuffle, WSNZ, currently in merger talks with fellow lobby group the Financial Services Council (FSC), named David Biegel as chair. Biegel, head… [Read More…]

In the evolution of investment management, the lines between active and passive are becoming blurred. Indices no longer reflect “the market”, or not many of them do. Investors should be aware of the implications. Kathryn McDonald, director of investment strategy at AXA Rosenberg Investment management, gave an interesting series of presentations in Australia recently on… [Read More…]

The best thing you can say about global, and in particular US, equity markets is that they will probably outperform bonds this year. But that is not saying much. Epoch Investment Partners’ Bill Priest has co-authored an interesting research note on the topic. Priest, Epoch’s chief executive and joint CIO who is best known for… [Read More…]

Direct real estate has never featured highly in the typical NZ wholesale investment strategy but Michael Holloway, Vinta head of funds management NZ, pleas the case for the alternative   Classic Modern Portfolio Theory (it’s over 60 years old now!) advocates that investors should diversify their investment portfolio to reduce total risk at a given… [Read More…]