It was a busy week for the now three-year-old Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA). Among the most important institutions in the financial advisery sector, the external dispute resolution body deals with complaints against most parts of the financial and investment sectors in Australia. A pre-determined review of the operations of the group found that it…
“Following the money” was the resounding theme during the first, exclusive session of Australian Ethical and The Inside Network’s inaugural ‘Investing for a better world’ Masterclass. Set over the three separate sessions across three weeks in the lead-up to Christmas, the Masterclass has been adeptly structured to bring together industry experts spanning the financial, investment…
“Follow the money” is among the most popular sayings in markets, with the regular Bank of America Fund Manager Survey one of the few insights available into how some US$1 trillion ($1.4 trillion) is being allocated. As is the case in the age of social media, click bait and meme stocks, those with the loudest…
ESG may well be the most commonly used term in financial markets today, replacing growth, or quality in pitchbooks the world over. However, growth in regulatory pressure and concerns of ‘greenwashing’ have seen some experts calling for the end of the term ‘ESG integrated’ when it comes to defining investment funds. Global asset manager Robeco…
According to research the Australian bond market is in the midst of its worst year of returns since 1994, currently sitting on a capital loss of 3.1 per cent. Headlines harking back to the ‘great bond massacre’ which occurred some 25 years ago continue to grow, which according to EPFR has seen some $890 million…
Kon Costas this week announced the launch of The Principals’ Community, a new business set up to service industry leading self-licensed financial advisers. The business will continue to deliver practice management, networking and business supports following its exit from BT Financial Group. According to a media release, the community has evolved from what was formerly…
Despite being quite simple in its definition, inconsistent reporting, differing approaches and the dominance of market-cap-weighted funds has meant that factor investing remains among the most misunderstood of investment concepts. Broadly defined, factor investing involves tailoring your investment approach such that it targets the characteristics of companies that have been shown to persistently deliver better…
Revolution Asset Management, one of Australia’s leading providers of financing to non-bank lenders and corporates, recently highlighted the strong health of Australia’s corporate sector in a portfolio update. The group continues to move from strength to strength just a few years since founding, with the latest Private Debt Fund having deployed $700 million of $1.1…
Since its founding 35 years ago, Australian Ethical has been at the forefront of responsible investing. The firm was an ESG investor before ESG became the buzzword it is today. In 2020, AE’s experience and approach came to the fore, with assets under management doubling on the back of strong investment performance and positive impacts….
The regulatory focus has once again returned to the industry or union superannuation fund sector in recent weeks. The Australian Securities and Investment Commission disclosed that they had been investigating the investment decisions of super fund executives at as many of 23 funds amid the pandemic. The incredibly uncertain times that occurred in March 2020…
