FUND MANAGEMENT – AUSTRALIA

Paradice mulls responsible investor fund

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Original article by John Stensholt
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 26 : 13-Jun-17

Paradice Investment Management’s David Paradice says his company is considering setting up a number of new funds over the next year. He says they could include an emerging markets fund and an environmental, social and governance fund. Paradice, who is currently based in the US, was the recipient of an Order of Australia award as part of the 2017 Queen’s Birthday honours. He says he would like to see companies focus more on making communities better, as well as treating their staff better and reducing waste.

CORPORATES
PARADICE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, ALPHABET INCORPORATED, FACEBOOK INCORPORATED, GOOGLE INCORPORATED, AMAZON.COM INCORPORATED, CLIMATE COUNCIL OF AUSTRALIA LIMITED, SOCIAL VENTURES AUSTRALIA LIMITED, TARONGA CONSERVATION SOCIETY AUSTRALIA

Active fundies struggle as passive index huggers deliver

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 1 & 8 : 26-Apr-17

Data from S&P Dow Jones Indices shows that more than 75 per cent of Australia’s actively-managed large-cap equity funds failed to match the performance of their benchmark index in 2016. Independent Asset Management and Hyperion Asset Management are among the active fund managers to have underperformed in recent years, as investors have increasingly embraced passively-managed index funds.

CORPORATES
S&P DOW JONES INDICES LLP, INDEPENDENT ASSET MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, HYPERION ASSET MANAGEMENT LIMITED, HYPERION AUSTRALIAN GROWTH COMPANIES FUND, MERCER INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 200 ACCUMULATION INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 300 ACCUMULATION INDEX

Bond’s grandson bets big on future of cobalt

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Original article by James Frost
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 13 & 16 : 14-Mar-17

Terra Capital’s main resources fund delivered an annualised return of 21 per cent from its formation in 2010 up until 31 January 2017. The fund avoids large stocks like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto, preferring to focus on smaller stocks in the resources sector. Founder Jeremy Bond, who is a grandson of the late Alan Bond, says cobalt stocks have become part of its portfolio recently, due to cobalt being a major component of the type of batteries used in electric cars.

CORPORATES
TERRA CAPITAL PTY LTD, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, RIO TINTO LIMITED – ASX RIO, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ALL ORDINARIES INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX 300 RESOURCES INDEX, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX SMALL RESOURCES INDEX, ECOBALT SOLUTIONS INCORPORATED, EQUATOR RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX EQU, BATTERY MINERALS RESOURCES LIMITED

Bleak year for Regal as returns in signature funds plunge 25pc

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Original article by Kylar Loussikian
The Australian – Page: 13 & 14 : 10-Jan-17

Regal Funds Management delivered disappointing returns for investors during the first 11 months of calendar 2016. Its Long Short Australian Equity Fund achieved a return of negative 7.37 per cent, while the Tasman Market Neutral Fund posted a return of negative 25.5 per cent. In contrast, the S&P/ASX 200 Accumulation Index posted a gain of more than seven per cent over the same period. Stocks held by Regal funds that underperformed in 2016 include Estia Health and Syrah Resources.

CORPORATES
REGAL FUNDS MANAGEMENT PTY LTD, STANDARD AND POOR’S ASX ACCUMULATION INDEX, ESTIA HEALTH LIMITED – ASX EHE, SYRAH RESOURCES LIMITED – ASX SYR, GREENCROSS LIMITED – ASX GXL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, TRIBECA INVESTMENT PARTNERS PTY LTD

There’s little future in not debating funds use

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Original article by Judith Sloan
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Dec-16

The Mid-year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO), issued on 20 December 2016, contains information that Future Fund’s net earnings will be included in MYEFO’s projections. Therefore, the projected surplus for 2020-21 of $A1 billion will be achieved by the inclusion of the planned withdrawals from the Future Fund in the national accounts. The matter deserves to be publically discussed.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY

Future Fund accounting switch saves AAA rating

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Original article by David Uren
The Australian – Page: 4 : 23-Dec-16

From 2020-21, profits generated by the Future Fund will be included in Australia’s budgets. Thus, a small surplus in that year will be achieved only because of a change in the fund’s accounting methodology. The Future Fund’s projected earnings of $A3.9 billion for 2019-20 are forecast to ensure a budget surplus of about $A1.1 billion in 2020-21.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, DELOITTE ACCESS ECONOMICS PTY LTD

AustralianSuper, Hostplus blast rivals’ premium hikes

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 18 : 23-Dec-16

Premiums for insurance policies arranged through superanuation funds are rising too fast. Rice Warner reports that the cost of death and total and permanent disability cover has risen 215 per cent on average since the beginning of 2013. IOOF wealth management manager Renato Mota says the rises were necessary because the rates were "unsustainably low".

CORPORATES
RICE WARNER ACTUARIES PTY LTD, IOOF HOLDINGS LIMITED – ASX IFL, AUSTRALIANSUPER PTY LTD, HOST-PLUS, COMMONWEALTH BANK OF AUSTRALIA – ASX CBA, COMMINSURE, AUSTRALIAN PRUDENTIAL REGULATION AUTHORITY

Perennial pair target ‘unloved, undervalued’ bunch of five

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Original article by Jonathan Shapiro
The Australian Financial Review – Page: 17 & 31 : 2-Dec-16

Value investing has fallen out of favour in recent years, but the August 2016 reporting season was a catalyst for renewed interest in value stocks. Stephen Bruce, a portfolio manager at Perennial, says stocks that have been dubbed "expensive defensives" began to be sold down in the wake of the reporting season, while value stocks received support due to financial results that were better than expected. Bruce and colleague John Murray identify BHP Billiton, QBE Insurance Group, AMP, Lend Lease and Macquarie Group as their top picks among value stocks.

CORPORATES
PERENNIAL VALUE MANAGEMENT LIMITED, BHP BILLITON LIMITED – ASX BHP, QBE INSURANCE GROUP LIMITED – ASX QBE, AMP LIMITED – ASX AMP, LEND LEASE GROUP LIMITED – ASX LLC, MACQUARIE GROUP LIMITED – ASX MQG, CSL LIMITED – ASX CSL, TRANSURBAN GROUP LIMITED – ASX TCL

Volatility hits fund earnings

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Original article by Michael Roddan
The Australian – Page: 23 : 17-Nov-16

Data from Mercer shows that Australia’s median shares fund manager achieved a return of negative 3.1 per cent between August and October 2016. SuperRatings’ figures show that the median superannuation fund boasted a return of minus 0.7 per cent for the period, including a one per cent loss in October. Factors such as the outlook of inflation and uncertainty over the timing of a rate rise in the US weighed on financial markets in October.

CORPORATES
MERCER INVESTMENTS PTY LTD, SUPERRATINGS PTY LTD, UNITED STATES. FEDERAL RESERVE BOARD

Cashed-up fund cools on property

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Original article by Daniel Palmer
The Australian – Page: 24 : 1-Nov-16

The Future Fund has posted a return of 1.5 per cent for the September 2016 quarter. Its cash holdings rose by 0.4 per cent to 22.1 per cent, compared with just 15.1 per cent for the same period in 2015. The sovereign wealth fund lifted its portfolio’s weighting toward equities by 0.6 per cent to 29.4 per cent, while its exposure to property and private equity fell. MD David Neal says the Future Fund is likely to maintain its risk-adverse profile. Its assets under management totalled $A124.65bn at the end of the quarter.

CORPORATES
AUSTRALIA. FUTURE FUND MANAGEMENT AGENCY, PORT OF MELBOURNE