News

Castlerock, a full-service property group specialising in buying and managing Commonwealth and State Government tenanted buildings is set to expand its asset base following its latest purchase. The group has made the largest acquisition in their 18-year history, purchasing the Icon building located in Ipswich’s CBD for $145.2 million. The purchase will be settled in…

Specialist Australian middle market private credit manager, Epsilon Direct Lending, this week confirmed the successful launch of their first fund after securing foundation investors. As highlighted in our earlier article, published in February here, the private credit market has seen massive growth in recent years as the major banks withdraw capital from the sector. This…

Investment firm Monash has restructured its Absolute Investment Company LIC (which traded under the ASX ticker MA1) with near-unanimous shareholder approval, voicing concerns that the LIC was “besmirching” the house’s reputation as top fundies. Monash Investors will restructure its Absolute Investment Company into an exchange-traded managed fund (ETMF) – the Monash Absolute Active Trust (ASX:…

The recovery from 2020’s “massive period of turbulence” hasn’t lifted all boats, and there are still plenty of bargains to be had, if you know where to look. Gareth James, Morningstar’s Sydney-based equity research strategist, expects Link Administration (ASX: LNK), for instance, to bounce back from “a tough few years” of regulatory changes and the…

The Clearbridge RARE Infrastructure Income fund was last week awarded Money Management’s Fund Manager of the Year award for the Infrastructure Securities category. This comes after a strong recovery to April and an impressive long-term track record. According to Money Management, it was Clearbridge’s ability to “focus on the best ideas and staying index-unaware” that…

Legendary investor Jeremy Grantham says that while markets are in what he’s called “one of the great bubbles of financial history,” there’s “no traditional pin” to pop it. Speaking to Morningstar CEO Kunal Kapoor, Grantham – who famously dodged the Japanese asset price bubble in the 1980s, as well as the Tech Wreck and the…

AMP’s wealth management arm will launch a cost-cutting program and make sweeping redundancies across its workforce in a bid to turn the troubled business around. While “Ms Fixit” Alexis George is yet to step into her new role as AMP Limited chief executive after leaving ANZ, AMP Australia – which is responsible for wealth management…

Fixed income allocations have experienced a difficult 12 months, with both performance and sentiment turning against the sector. The threat of higher interest rates has seen volatility in Government bond markets reach levels not seen in decades. With many experts now suggesting that the duration “tailwind” is over, being the capital gains offered by bonds…

Money Management held its fund manager of the year awards last week. Presented by TV personality Andrew Daddo, the awards recognise stellar fund manager performance at a time when markets underwent bouts of extreme volatility. There were numerous awards in various categories, but ultimately the Fund Manager of the Year Award for 2021 was taken…

Charter Hall Long WALE REIT (ASX: CLW) has announced that it has secured a $790 million investment portfolio to be owned by the REIT and Charter Hall Direct funds. The high-quality first-generation leased portfolio comprises three offices and one life science/industrial asset. The portfolio comprises four assets with a total net lettable area (NLA) of…

With records still being set by both equities and bond markets, investor uncertainty abounds. It would seem that these times are made for both active management and experience. Among bond markets, the possibility of higher inflation, especially in the US, is prompting fears of rising interest rates, and therefore falling prices, with investors looking further…

Stewart Investors is among the world’s leading ESG or responsible investment firms, yet a series of name and ownership changes have somewhat hidden this specialist investment firm. Originally part of the Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFSGAM) stable, Stewart is now owned by First Sentier Investors, which itself is a subsidiary of Japanese investment…