The growing popularity of ESG-themed strategies by fund managers is no doubt a positive for the globe, but the “proliferation of product” is muddying the waters of sustainability and green-themed investments. This was the core message delivered by Australian Ethical’s head of domestic equities, Mike Murray, when presenting at The Inside Network’s Equities and Growth…
Markets are poised for more damage after a remarkable bull run, and Orbis Australia believes now is the time when contrarianism will prove its worth. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness,” famously wrote Charles Dickens in “A…
“(The biggest benefit) of late stage venture capital is the uncorrelated nature of the asset class,” said Kevin Moss, president and portfolio manager at late stage venture capital manager Liberty Street Advisors (LSA). “Everybody’s looking for the capital gains of course, but this really differentiates the asset class… And history will tell you that periods…
Floods, fires, landslides, earthquakes. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world, the impacts of climate change are becoming more pronounced, with many still struggling to understand the implications they have for various asset classes. Long the stalwart of institutional portfolios, commercial properties are among the oldest asset classes in the world, having been…
Sentient Investment Group, spun-out of Impact Investment Group this week, and backed by leading Australian responsible investment firm Australian Ethical, is making major investments in the fast-growing renewable and green energy sectors. Overseen by former NAB CEO Andrew Thorburn and run by Oliver Yates, the group manages a diversified renewable energy strategy and has recently…
The financial services industry has not been immune from the socialisation and digitisation trend, with finfluencers now among the most powerful voices in the sector. The idea of a finfluencer is simple, springing from the “Instagram influencer” title that many younger people have sought to achieve, but simply with a financial twist. Spurred by the…
MA Financial, previously known as Moelis, has announced the expansion of its investment suite, pivoting its asset management business into the Chinese market. Named the MA Financial China Fund, the strategy will invest into a portfolio of 70 high-quality Chinese companies and be managed by onshore manager ChinaAMC. ChinaAMC is one the country’s largest asset…
The financial advisory market is set to have a new leader when measured by financial adviser headcount, with WT Financial Group’s decision to acquire licensee company Synchron set to create the “largest non-institutionally-owned financial adviser network”. Completion of the deal, which an announcement to the ASX indicated was for consideration of up to $7.96 million,…
Year after year of growing compliance requirements placed on the financial advice sector likely came to a crescendo with the Financial Services Royal Commission. The introduction of FASEA, additional education requirements and Code of Ethics whilst on their own were a positive step towards professionalisation. However, they added another burden to an industry that most…
Calastone’s latest Global Fund Flow Index, which tracks more than 500,000 buy and sell orders every month across platforms and managed funds, recently highlighted the challenge facing ESG-focused strategies. Despite seeing record inflows into ESG-focused funds in 2021, quadrupling the levels of 2021 to $3.0 billion, the data highlights that this remains only a small…
