October 2014
First State Super CIO takes aim at PE fees
The debate over private equity fees shows little sign of abating, with First State Super’s chief investment officer, Richard Brandweiner, the latest high-ranking executive to weigh in.
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Private equity faces a brave new world
Private equity in Australia has hit a turning point. A long-running battle over fees and flow of superannuation money into offshore players is sweeping away old certainties and forcing industry into new territory.
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Hunt on for heir to IOF’s hot seat
The top job at Investa Office Fund is widely regarded as one of the riskier roles in the listed property market .
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Policy focus intended to slow investment mortgages
A senior Reserve Bank official has sounded another warning about the rapid expansion of lending to the housing sector amid speculation the RBA intends to back support policies aimed at tackling this trend.
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Roc Oil looks set to fall to China’s Fosun
Fosun, China’s largest privately held conglomerate, is on course to secure its first takeover of a listed Australian company after gaining a substantial foothold over Roc Oil’s register.
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Van Eyk consultants target managed account sector
Van Eyk’s former consulting team, which left the day after Macquarie suspended four of the now-notorious Blueprint funds, plans to launch a new venture later this month.
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September 2014
Van Eyk sale on the cards amid ASIC probe
A deal to sell the rump of Van Eyk, the troubled financial services business that entered administration earlier this month, will be struck by the end of this week, according to sources.
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More gold to be found in retail sector, says Anchorage chair
Phil Cave, chairman of the specialist turnaround firm Anchorage Capital Partners, intends to keep mining the retail sector for profits after a blockbuster Dick Smith deal quadrupled its initial investment in the electronics company.
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Energy sector braced for $10b merger wave
Mergers are set to sweep through Australia’s oil and gas sector with close to $10 billion of assets currently on the market as international players head towards the exit.
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Van Eyk administration move leaves market reeling
Investors in van Eyk have been left reeling after the financial services firm entered voluntary administration on Monday, prompting fears its best assets may be sold off at a fire sale price.
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Big drop in new issuances: UBS
Equity raisings and IPO activity in Australia’s $87 billion listed real estate sector have fallen off a cliff this year, taking deal volumes in this segment of the market back to levels last seen at the tail end of the global financial crisis.
US hedge funds extend grip on Billabong
US hedge funds, Oaktree Capital and Centerbridge Partners, have extended their grip over recovering surf and skate wear retailer Billabong, snapping up an extra 2.9 per cent as confidence in the turnaround intensifies.
Carsales.com looks at iCar Asia takeover play
Online advertising giant Carsales.com may launch a takeover play for its smaller rival iCar, after a company associated with the Kuala Lumpur-based entrepreneur, Patrick Grove, announced its intention to shed a 27 per cent stake in the business.
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Private equity strikes back at Murray report
Last July’s interim report from the David Murray-led financial system inquiry shone an unwelcome spotlight on the fees charged by private equity and venture capital firms.
August 2014
AWI wants answers from van Eyk
Sydney-based Van Eyk Research has come under fire from a major share holder just days after four of the firm’s funds were closed following a breach of their investment mandate.
Tinkler looks to buy Wilkie Creek asset
Nathan Tinkler’s pursuit of a $150 million coal mine in Queensland may have taken another lurch for the worse but the fallen tycoon refuses to raise the white flag, even after seizure of his thoroughbred racing empire.
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Macquarie shutters four van Eyk funds
Macquarie Group has pulled the plug on four van Eyk Blueprint funds, paving the way for some hundreds of millions to be returned to retail investors.
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TPG interest in Treasury stirs Myer ghosts
Private equity firms are canny investors but there is a crowning irony about TPG’s pursuit of Penfolds producer, Treasury Wine Estates.
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July 2014
Venture capitalists seek focus on results, returns
Private equity and venture capital firms need to improve their disclosure of fees, according to the financial system inquiry, which argued this could stimulate competition in the industry.
June 2014
Cult hit ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ still relevant 30 years on
There’s nothing more bankable than a rip-roaring tale of greed and power. Witness the recent success of the Wolf of Wall Street, or the father-of-all-evil Gordon Gekko whose “lunch is for wimps” line still peppers financiers’ banter today, three decades after Michael Douglas immortalised the fictional character in Oliver Stone’s 1980s classic.