Australia’s Productivity Commission performed a review of its world-class superannuation system, with an eye toward making the best even better. But the inquiry wasted its opportunity by making recommendations that its three years of research don’t support.
Global markets are more interconnected than ever. That provides many benefits but it also has its drawbacks. Chief among those is the potential for investors to move in lockstep when driven by fear or euphoria, creating feedback loops that can result in crashes.
The Transition Pathway Initiative has grown quickly as a tool for asset owners and fund managers looking to plot their way toward a low-carbon economy – but there is more on its agenda. Scrutiny of more investors, expanded research and transparency in emerging markets are all on its to-do list.
The UK’s £45 billion Northern LGPS pool has eschewed creating a separate FCA-regulated entity, seeing it as an unnecessary expense. Moves in infrastructure and private equity have also reflected the asset pool’s laser-like focus on keeping costs down.
Most asset owners have to manage several time frames to be long-term investors but most risk-management tools address only one investment period. A new paper by Focusing Capital on the Long Term attempts to solve this problem by providing a new set of tools.
Leigh Gavin, CIO at Australian industry-fund pioneer LUCRF Super, takes care to match portfolios and costs with the needs of the fund’s low-balance membership. In recent years, this has meant taking on additional risk and questioning fee models in private equity.
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