This quarter has seen a perfect storm of challenges to Australian society. The bushfires, the escalating coronavirus pandemic and a global shock to output and the economy have produced unprecedented turmoil in our communities. This session will hold a candid conversation about the role of financial services in holding the nation together.
Speaker: Geoff Lloyd, chief executive, MLC
Moderator: Colin Tate, chief executive officer, Conexus Financial
Length: 38 mins
A concentrated bet on fewer, better GP relationships is paying off for one of Australia's largest superannuation funds. Built on selective manager and deal selection rather than a broad roster, the A$112 billion ($78 billion) Rest Super delivered private equity returns more than double the peer average last financial year, as the fund proactively courts top-tier PE firms instead of waiting to be approached.
In an endorsement of its hard work over the last year, Sweden’s Fund Selection Agency, which procures and monitors the funds on offer on the country’s premium pension platform, is already starting to see improved returns and lower fees from the wave of new equity funds it mandated.
Rolling out a total portfolio approach is rarely a linear process, as even its most experienced practitioners warned that without careful resistance to old language, culture and structure, asset owners can easily slide back into the “comfort” of strategic asset allocation. A new report unpacks how leading funds stay disciplined.
The South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission's improved liquidity position has allowed the plan to tilt its portfolio towards unlisted asset classes, including private equity and private credit. The fund grew fast thanks to funding reform, improved salaries, and positive investment returns and is now looking to boost long-term performance.
While the US remains the most entrepreneurial economy, China might now be challenging its technology leadership, while demographics, deglobalisation, decarbonisation, and digitalisation are creating “massive opportunities” in almost every market, according to Macquarie Asset Management.
Former US deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger has warned that China could spark “a very serious crisis” in Taiwan without even resorting to a full-scale war – an escalation he said could occur within the current Trump administration.
In his regular column for Top1000funds.com, Tim Hodgson, co-founder of the Thinking Ahead Institute at WTW, reflects on the dangers of unconstrained action, the limits of efficiency, and why long-term sustainability may depend on knowing when not to act.
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