Successful societies require competent and compassionate leadership, on the one hand, and social solidarity and trust on the other. How did we end up with excesses of both incompetence and social division? If Steven Pinker is correct in arguing that the human race has never had it so good, what are we missing? Who and what are driving the division? What are the ways to drive people back toward consensus? What is the path back to shared prosperity?

China’s economy is vastly complex. Despite Chinese policymakers wanting to increase domestic consumption and reduce the power of state-owned companies, powerful interest groups and incentives are seeking to override these objectives. Why does China struggle to achieve their espoused policies, and what role does political power play?

Asset management is facing its extinction rebellion moment. Facing significant disruption, the industry needs to prove its value to investors. What are the key areas that an asset management firm must address in a new landscape, characterised by regulation, technology disruption, socially responsible investing and efficient passive management?  

The US stock market has returned to its previous highs. But has the economy  been pushed beyond breaking point in the process? What is the economic reality that investors are facing? Do the next two decades of U.S. growth look like Japan with slow, prolonged stagnation,and can monetary policy or fiscal policy change that?

Don’t be evil. Today, seven large technology companies have market dominance, and mutually reinforcing factors make it almost impossible to displace them. How does this impact investor decision-making, particularly given their weighting in equity indices, and innovation? And how might antitrust regulation threaten their market power?  

There are many reasons why TPA is superior to a SAA. But the TPA portfolio construction process requires decisions to ensure that the governance, people and investment model line up with organisation effectiveness. How does Cbus frame how they look at their portfolios, play to their strengths and determine investment conviction?  

The cloud of COVID has transformed the due diligence process. What are the observations to date from the asset owners and the consultants during this period? How are asset owners approaching the challenge of appointing new managers and updating due diligence in a virtual environment? Can technology solutions provide sufficient effectiveness to solve the problems?    

The 60/40 benchmark portfolio is 35 years old. Its prominence culminates with the longest decrease in interest rates. How do investors need to reframe the way that they look at portfolios today? What characteristics are critical for investors as they redefine their return objective, implementation options, and ultimately map risk to member outcomes? 

The timing and the shape of the recovery post the pandemic remains uncertain. However, private debt offers an essential source of liquidity and long-term finance as banks continue to exhibit low-risk appetite. What is the state of the domestic borrower market and how should investors discern the increasing number of asset-light businesses seeking funding?

Market dynamics have led to increasing levels of fund consolidation. The process of consolidation is highly time consuming and requires a lot of decision-making. What are the key areas that an investor needs to consider as part of this process? What are the common areas of contention and the unexpected challenges that arise in merging portfolios?  

This fireside chat will be a wide-ranging discussion. Investment beliefs are a core part of an investor’s active strategy. Testing those beliefs by way of a reference portfolio is one approach to judge skill. Following the recent review of its reference portfolio, what has NZ Super learned?

Join us for interactive peer-to-peer networking on Remo (digital networking platform). You will be provided with a link to access the conference room.

The omnipotent central bank narrative has taken hold. Is this a permanent feature of the investing environment where fundamentals, like economic growth, inflation and real interest rates no longer matter? What does this mean for risk and how should investors view the market dynamics where growth and momentum are seemingly the only games in town? 

Tension is inevitable when great empires such as the US and China jostle. While many parts of the world have been suffering from the pandemic, China’s momentum has continued to build as President Xi has sought a faster return to normalcy. What impact will this have on the tit-for-tat trade escalations, China’s credit impulse and possible global reflation?

Applying materiality to ESG ratings can improve the accuracy for forecasting returns. What are the data challenges of quantifying ESG and determining materiality? How vital are governance factors such as ownership structure, shareholder orientation, and institutional presence in predicting return variability? And is there a threat of ESG overcrowding?

The impact of the pandemic on real estate has had a great shock on many sectors. The  financial stress has already started to shift from tenants to property owners and their lenders. How people work, live, and play has likely changed forever. How should investors interpret the impact and understanding the bifurcation of the market?

As the global community reimagines a world post the pandemic there are many new catalysts for innovation - across all aspects of our lives. This session uncovers the characteristics of disrupters, how they collaborate and access capital to spawn future industries and companies that will be both profitable and sustainable in the new world order.

The impact of the pandemic both on financial markets and individuals has been immense. The issue of mental health and anxiety is a societal problem amplified by COVID-19 that requires collaboration by super funds, insurers and employers. What training and resources are available to reduce the stigma of mental health and improve workplaces?    

The pandemic has accelerated the speed of change, and investors need to respond. Alongside the investment market challenges and opportunities, investors will need to contend with four key themes, purpose, adapting to change, regulatory policy, mobility and culture. What impact will these themes have on the Future Fund to innovate and allocate capital?   

The Your Future Your Super (YFYS) reforms will re-shape the superannuation industry from a structural, investment and outcomes perspective. In this digital break-out session the investment community comes together in a safe environment to discuss their views on YFYS.

As ESG integration gains prominence investors are discerning on greenwashing. While the popular ESG narrative has virtuous intentions in many cases it falls short as exposure to the highly priced FAANGS dominates the portfolio. Where can investors find the next emerging leaders that will benefit from the structural evolution of the economy in line with the SDGs?

Investors are increasingly looking at integrating sustainability considerations beyond equities. Historically, the integration of sustainability has referred to the application of data and ratings to the investment process. However, given the prominence of the SDGs and greater expectations of the members, what should a deeper level of integration incorporate?

TCorp is nearly four years into a transformational journey toward a risk-based total portfolio approach. With very strong client alignment and without the need to give regard to peer portfolios or be subject to a material profit motive, TCorp has arguably higher ability to leverage several comparative advantages. Where has TCorp reached and what have been the unexpected opportunities and challenges on the journey of rebuilding the investment model?   

Successful societies require competent and compassionate leadership, on the one hand, and social solidarity and trust on the other. How did we end up with excesses of both incompetence and social division? If Steven Pinker is correct in arguing that the human race has never had it so good, what are we missing? Who and what are driving the division? What are the ways to drive people back toward consensus? What is the path back to shared prosperity?

China’s economy is vastly complex. Despite Chinese policymakers wanting to increase domestic consumption and reduce the power of state-owned companies, powerful interest groups and incentives are seeking to override these objectives. Why does China struggle to achieve their espoused policies, and what role does political power play?

Asset management is facing its extinction rebellion moment. Facing significant disruption, the industry needs to prove its value to investors. What are the key areas that an asset management firm must address in a new landscape, characterised by regulation, technology disruption, socially responsible investing and efficient passive management?  

The US stock market has returned to its previous highs. But has the economy  been pushed beyond breaking point in the process? What is the economic reality that investors are facing? Do the next two decades of U.S. growth look like Japan with slow, prolonged stagnation,and can monetary policy or fiscal policy change that?

Don’t be evil. Today, seven large technology companies have market dominance, and mutually reinforcing factors make it almost impossible to displace them. How does this impact investor decision-making, particularly given their weighting in equity indices, and innovation? And how might antitrust regulation threaten their market power?  

There are many reasons why TPA is superior to a SAA. But the TPA portfolio construction process requires decisions to ensure that the governance, people and investment model line up with organisation effectiveness. How does Cbus frame how they look at their portfolios, play to their strengths and determine investment conviction?  

The cloud of COVID has transformed the due diligence process. What are the observations to date from the asset owners and the consultants during this period? How are asset owners approaching the challenge of appointing new managers and updating due diligence in a virtual environment? Can technology solutions provide sufficient effectiveness to solve the problems?    

The 60/40 benchmark portfolio is 35 years old. Its prominence culminates with the longest decrease in interest rates. How do investors need to reframe the way that they look at portfolios today? What characteristics are critical for investors as they redefine their return objective, implementation options, and ultimately map risk to member outcomes? 

The timing and the shape of the recovery post the pandemic remains uncertain. However, private debt offers an essential source of liquidity and long-term finance as banks continue to exhibit low-risk appetite. What is the state of the domestic borrower market and how should investors discern the increasing number of asset-light businesses seeking funding?

Market dynamics have led to increasing levels of fund consolidation. The process of consolidation is highly time consuming and requires a lot of decision-making. What are the key areas that an investor needs to consider as part of this process? What are the common areas of contention and the unexpected challenges that arise in merging portfolios?  

This fireside chat will be a wide-ranging discussion. Investment beliefs are a core part of an investor’s active strategy. Testing those beliefs by way of a reference portfolio is one approach to judge skill. Following the recent review of its reference portfolio, what has NZ Super learned?

Join us for interactive peer-to-peer networking on Remo (digital networking platform). You will be provided with a link to access the conference room.

The omnipotent central bank narrative has taken hold. Is this a permanent feature of the investing environment where fundamentals, like economic growth, inflation and real interest rates no longer matter? What does this mean for risk and how should investors view the market dynamics where growth and momentum are seemingly the only games in town? 

Tension is inevitable when great empires such as the US and China jostle. While many parts of the world have been suffering from the pandemic, China’s momentum has continued to build as President Xi has sought a faster return to normalcy. What impact will this have on the tit-for-tat trade escalations, China’s credit impulse and possible global reflation?

Applying materiality to ESG ratings can improve the accuracy for forecasting returns. What are the data challenges of quantifying ESG and determining materiality? How vital are governance factors such as ownership structure, shareholder orientation, and institutional presence in predicting return variability? And is there a threat of ESG overcrowding?

The impact of the pandemic on real estate has had a great shock on many sectors. The  financial stress has already started to shift from tenants to property owners and their lenders. How people work, live, and play has likely changed forever. How should investors interpret the impact and understanding the bifurcation of the market?

As the global community reimagines a world post the pandemic there are many new catalysts for innovation - across all aspects of our lives. This session uncovers the characteristics of disrupters, how they collaborate and access capital to spawn future industries and companies that will be both profitable and sustainable in the new world order.

The impact of the pandemic both on financial markets and individuals has been immense. The issue of mental health and anxiety is a societal problem amplified by COVID-19 that requires collaboration by super funds, insurers and employers. What training and resources are available to reduce the stigma of mental health and improve workplaces?    

The pandemic has accelerated the speed of change, and investors need to respond. Alongside the investment market challenges and opportunities, investors will need to contend with four key themes, purpose, adapting to change, regulatory policy, mobility and culture. What impact will these themes have on the Future Fund to innovate and allocate capital?   

The Your Future Your Super (YFYS) reforms will re-shape the superannuation industry from a structural, investment and outcomes perspective. In this digital break-out session the investment community comes together in a safe environment to discuss their views on YFYS.

As ESG integration gains prominence investors are discerning on greenwashing. While the popular ESG narrative has virtuous intentions in many cases it falls short as exposure to the highly priced FAANGS dominates the portfolio. Where can investors find the next emerging leaders that will benefit from the structural evolution of the economy in line with the SDGs?

Investors are increasingly looking at integrating sustainability considerations beyond equities. Historically, the integration of sustainability has referred to the application of data and ratings to the investment process. However, given the prominence of the SDGs and greater expectations of the members, what should a deeper level of integration incorporate?

TCorp is nearly four years into a transformational journey toward a risk-based total portfolio approach. With very strong client alignment and without the need to give regard to peer portfolios or be subject to a material profit motive, TCorp has arguably higher ability to leverage several comparative advantages. Where has TCorp reached and what have been the unexpected opportunities and challenges on the journey of rebuilding the investment model?