Investment News

Short-term opportunistic investors were driving much of the current market volatility, according to Keith Poore, AMP Capital NZ head of investment strategy. Poore said short-term investors were exploiting a “moving cross-hair” of global woes to leverage positions. “When there’s bad news, there’s always people looking to push the angles to make money out of it,”… [Read More…]

The Australian exchange-traded product (ETP) market grew assets under management by over 40 per cent while product numbers were up almost a third in 2015, according to new Morningstar report. ETPs include exchange-traded funds (ETFs) as well as less common listed product types that don’t fall under the fund category. The study says the 33… [Read More…]

Sustainalytics, a global consulting firm which focuses on ESG strategies for fiduciary investors, has produced a list of the ‘top 10 stocks to watch’ – including Australia’s Origin Energy – following the Paris climate change conference. Sustainalytics is the world’s biggest firm of its type and is set to open an office in Sydney. In… [Read More…]

Public stock markets may be so last century, according to John Kay, UK economist and author. In New Zealand last week on a book promotion tour and speaking engagement for the local CFA Society, Kay said the inexorable rise of technology-driven trading could make traditional share markets such as the NZX extinct. “[Financial technology] calls… [Read More…]

Active managers may add value after all, according to a just-released study from the Australian-based Centre for International Finance and Regulation (CIFR), especially during bear markets. In a statement, Ze Chen, co-author of the study alongside fellow researcher Geoff Warren and CIFR chief David Gallagher, said traditional performance analysis based on portfolio holdings misses a… [Read More…]

Finance Minister Bill English is due to cut the ribbon on Harbour Asset Management’s new office today in Wellington. According to Harbour chief, Andrew Bascand, English also performed the duty six years ago when the boutique manager first opened its doors. “We thought it would be good to bring him back in an informal capacity… [Read More…]

AMP Capital has made a raft of appointments across its Australian funds management business. Last week, the investment arm of the Australasian financial services conglomerate named Darren Beesley to a newly-created role as portfolio manager in its multi-asset group. Beesley has been charged with building and managing a new range of AMP Capital retirement funds… [Read More…]

Australasian investors mainly want to hear about US growth prospects when they talk to US-based global managers at the moment, according to Ranger International’s Jeff Middleswart, who was on one of his frequent visits to Australia last week. And while those prospects are still good, they do not look quite as bright as they did… [Read More…]

After a relatively short engagement, two of New Zealand’s water-based unions have agreed to merge their respective superannuation and KiwiSaver schemes under a single flag of convenience. Following the merger, due to take force by April 1 this year, the Seafarers Retirement Fund (SRF) and the Waterfront Industry Superannuation Fund (WISF) will unite as the… [Read More…]

Trustees Executors (TE) has axed long-serving group executive, Tom Hoey. Hoey, the latest in a string of high-level departures from the trustee and fund back-office provider, left in December after almost 20 years with the organisation, the TE office confirmed. Last year, TE corporate trust regional sales chiefs, Clynton Hardy and Yogesh Mody, were also… [Read More…]