Redefining indexes to reflect reality

The investment industry should be constantly looking at the impact of technology on the status quo. Just because indexes have been defined as cap-weighted portfolios, doesn’t mean that can’t change. In fact, the evolution in portfolio management necessitates a change in thinking with regard to the definition of indexes, in particular so risk management can … Read more

The Future Fund 2.0

With its 10th birthday looming, the Future Fund is entering its next incarnation complete with a new investment team structure. AMANDA WHITE spoke to Raphael Arndt, Stephen Gilmore and David Neal. When David Neal, the inaugural chief investment officer of the Future Fund, became its managing director on August 4 last year, his previous role … Read more

Understanding the cost of investment management

Across the institutional investment community, disclosure and transparency of costs continues to be evolving, but not fast enough. A paper by Commonfund Institute reveals only 18 per cent of respondents in an endowment survey reported incentive and performance fees paid to asset managers despite the fact that nearly 85 per cent of respondents reported having … Read more

Empowering asset owners

Head of the global union movement, Sharan Burrow, has called on asset owners to “stop talking about constraints on fiduciary duty” and take the lead on the transition to a green economy. Burrow was part of a panel at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium in Chicago that told delegates the next wave of stewardship is not … Read more

Why investors should de-carbonise

Regardless of moral and scientific arguments, the “risk of policy action” on climate change is enough reason for institutional investors to consider climate risk as having real impact on their portfolios. As an example investors at the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Chicago Booth School of Business were told that investment-grade bonds in the coal sector … Read more