News

Following on from the Banking Royal Commission of 2017-18, the growing popularity of boutique independent financial advisers has grown consistently, with clients seeing value in advisers that are building strong personal relationships and providing a consistent high-quality service to their clients. Boutique advisory firms typically have a niche area of expertise where they can differentiate…

As an adviser, you want your clients to be educated on the importance of financial advice.  Research has shown that a one-size-fits-all approach to communication isn’t the most effective tactic and while it’s near impossible to customise messages person to person, it turns out that it’s quite easy to customise them by one big factor…

Leading responsible and sustainable investment manager Australian Ethical (ASX:AEF) this week announced their intention to merge with industry fund Christian Super. If completed, the combined entity would manage some $9 billion and serve around 100,000 members across the country. Christian Super, and similar religious-leaning super funds were some of the earliest adopters of the ESG…

“(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…

Asset manager Perpetual has made a bold $2.4 billion takeover bid for asset manager Pendal, which it says would create a “leader in the Australian asset management market”, and analysts are upbeat on the deal, with some saying a higher bid could emerge. Perpetual has launched a conditional, non-binding proposal to buy 100 per cent…

The “widow-maker” in the Australian investment context has long referred to those willing or stupid enough to take a short position on the “big four” banks. Being such a huge part of the benchmark and with clear government support, betting against the sector has carried too much career risk for many. But in 2021 and…

Global investment consultant and support network to the pension fund industry, bfinance, this week released its latest Market Intelligence and Market Trends report, covering the final quarter of 2021. While the world has changed dramatically since the calendar turned over, there are some powerful insights for financial advisers and other asset allocators. According to its…

Australians are the richest they have ever been, with household wealth jumping to a record $14.68 trillion in the December quarter of 2021, a rise of 4.5 per cent from the September quarter, while wealth per capita increased to an all-time high of $566,541, according to data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Almost…

Last year’s global economic rebound, combined with increases in the prices of shares and property, have boosted the number of ultra-wealthy people worldwide, with their number rising at a faster pace in 2021 than in 2020, despite the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. The number of ultra-high-net-worth individuals (UHNWIs), or those with US$30 million ($40 million) or…

New York-based ETF provider Global X, with US$40 billion ($53.3 billion) in assets under management across more than 80 products, is preparing to launch in the Australian market, and has announced a huge step in its mission. This week, the ETF provider announced the appointment of Blair Hannon as head of investment strategy of 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…

Global fixed income manager PIMCO is launching its first ASX-listed Australian investment trust – The PIMCO Global Income Opportunities Trust (ASX:PMX). The fund aims to deliver regular income and attractive risk-adjusted returns by using PIMCO’s best income-generating ideas on a global sector basis. Here are some of the highlights from the fund: ASX Code –…