Investment News

Mercer has dished out another lesson in asset class dramatics with a winning performance by global equities and a riches-to-rags story for commodities as seen in the group’s much-anticipated annual investment returns recap. The 2023 edition of the Mercer ‘periodic table’ of asset class performance reveals unhedged global equities stole the show for NZ investors… [Read More…]

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) has claimed its first legal ‘greenwashing’ scalp after a muted court win against Vanguard last week over a global bond fund offered on both sides of the Tasman. In a release, the Australian financial regulator says Federal Court Justice O’Bryan found the global passive investment firm breached the… [Read More…]

New artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT may trigger a legislative and governance upgrade for the NZ financial services sector, according to senior regulator, Daniel Trinder. In an article penned last week, the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) strategy and design executive director says the rise of ‘generative’ AI could have profound consequences for how… [Read More…]

Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and fixed income loom as next-level growth engines for BlackRock, Larry Fink told investors in his annual chairman’s letter last week. The novella-length Fink-piece namechecks ETFs as one of the key drivers of the BlackRock global expansion strategy following a restructure last year that put the product template at the heart of… [Read More…]

All marketing tools work. But some work better than others, Consilium head of advice, Ben Brinkerhoff, told the group’s inaugural adviser ‘growth forum’ in Auckland last week. Brinkerhoff said freshish data on adviser marketing techniques – notably, a 2022 study published by US advisory guru, Michael Kitces – has given an unprecedented level of insight… [Read More…]

Mosaic Financial Services Infrastructure has struck a deal with Australasian niche consultant business, Informed.City, to offer climate-reporting services to the NZ market. Under the arrangement confirmed this week, Mosaic and Informed.City will provide a “comprehensive suite of services” designed around the recently introduced NZ climate-reporting obligations. Mosaic says in a joint release: “Together, our partnership… [Read More…]

‘Women in Super’ (WIS) NZ has evolved into ‘Empower Women’ with a broader mandate under the group’s new base within the Financial Services Council (FSC). Officially joining the FSC last week, the former stand-alone advocacy group will have a “true focus on collaboration and breaking down silos” as Empower Women, according to ex WIS chair,… [Read More…]

Like the flight of the bumblebee, the success of low-volatility investing allegedly defies theory. Yet a stack of historical evidence has shown less-volatile securities outperform over the long term in an apparent contradiction of the ‘high-risk, high-return’ capitalist mantra, according to a new paper by Dutch financial academic, Pim van Vliet. “The low-volatility premium may… [Read More…]

As the market scrapes against all-time highs, Capital Group is fielding plenty of questions from clients and investors who have grown concerned about what – if anything – is really underpinning the price appreciation that’s padded their portfolios. The answer, according to Matthew Reynolds, Capital Group investment director for Australia, runs deeper than TINA, or… [Read More…]

Outgoing ANZ Investments head of asset allocation, Maaike van Tol, will join the NZ Superannuation Fund (NZS) as director portfolio design. As reported last week, van Tol and fellow ANZ veteran, head of Australasian listed property, Craig Tyson, resigned last week under different notice periods. Due to end a more than nine-year shift at ANZ,… [Read More…]