Investment News

While world markets took a dive early in August – including across the board falls of about 3 per cent in most major bourses last Friday – the previous month held mainly good news for New Zealand institutional investors, according to the latest Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Report. The July Aon Investment Update found all… [Read More…]

Fund managers are facing the most challenging environment for many years with both uncertain markets and uncertain client demands. Still, most are optimistic, according to the annual fund managers survey by State Street, to be published this week. The survey revealed four key ‘value drivers’ for managers. The trend to inhouse management by big pension… [Read More…]

Wellington-based multi-manager firm Grosvenor Financial Services is pitching for the fee-conscious, passively-inclined crowd with a swag of new products. On top of the four multi-sector growth funds released last week under the brand Focus Series – essentially, simplified products carved out of the group’s Investment Series – Grosvenor will shortly launch four, niche exchange-traded fund… [Read More…]

The Future Generation Global Investment Company, Geoff Wilson’s latest listed investment vehicle which has a strong philanthropic bent and attracted enormous industry interest, last week tied up a major institutional investor. The fund’s offer closes this Friday (August 28). The Australian arm of insurance giant QBE has invested $30 million into the LIC, which is,… [Read More…]

A few “enduring themes” have emerged from an analysis of the current Nikko Asset Management NZ portfolio, according to head of equities, Stuart Williams. Williams told the Workplace Savings NZ (WSNZ) conference in Wellington earlier this month, that the intertwined themes of an aging demographic and healthcare would likely be long-term drivers of returns. In… [Read More…]

Automotive Holdings Group (AHG), the largest owner of car sale franchises in Australasia, plans to expand its Auckland footprint following the launch last week of a retail property trust, through Charter Hall Direct Property Management, which will acquire three of its biggest Australian properties. Bronte Howson, executive director of AHG, said at the Sydney launch… [Read More…]

Research Affiliates, the California-based smart-beta manager, has produced an interesting paper questioning several key assumptions about the relationship between the US dollar and the economic and market performance of emerging markets. Is the stronger greenback really bad news? The paper says there are three ‘myths’ which investors often believe are true: . Higher US yields… [Read More…]

The Commission for Financial Capability (CFFC) is planning a major shake-up for its Sorted website, aiming to build a more “personalised experience” for users. In a request for proposal (RFP) lodged on the GETS government procurement site late in July, the CFFC called for tenders to reboot Sorted for the modern age and under a… [Read More…]

New Zealand’s funds management industry is mourning the loss last week of one of its most influential and successful figures, former head of AMP Capital, Roger Greville. Greville, who died in Queenstown on August 10 after a skiing accident, was a friend and mentor to many in the New Zealand funds business – more than… [Read More…]

Bruce Kerr has resigned as head of Workplace Savings New Zealand after more than a decade heading the employer superannuation peak body. Kerr, who announced his resignation at last week’s Workplace Savings conference in Wellington, said he was stepping aside to focus on his licensed independent trustee (LIT) duties. “2016 is going to be a… [Read More…]