Today
Lessons from $1.2b funds collapses
Managed investment schemes cry out for regulatory reform after the $1.2 billion collapse of Shield Master Fund, First Guardian Master Fund and Australian Fiduciaries.
May
My dad lost his Rio scrip before he died. It’s been a nightmare
A lost Rio Tinto share certificate opened this investor’s eyes to a complex legal and regulatory trap.
Macquarie’s approach to accountability is laughable
After being sanctioned by regulators in Australia, the UK and US, is the group treating fines and sanctions as the cost of doing business?
April
Why Australia’s four pillars policy is as strong as ever
Paul Keating’s policy that stops the big four banks taking each other over is still going strong, but it probably won’t stop the big from getting bigger.
UTS restructure fraught with risks
The inner workings of a $100 million a year cost-cutting plan provide a timely case study of the enormous pressures on Australia’s $50 billion education export industry.
UTS to cut $100m and sack 400 despite surge in foreign students
UTS is facing a staff backlash and questions over its governance as it pushes ahead with a cost-cutting plan triggered by the student cap legislation that never passed the federal parliament.
March
My SMSF is cashed up for a Trump catastrophe
The global economic chaos unleashed by the president prompted this self-managed super fund to cut exposure to the United States and raise cash.
Small caps bulldozed by ETFs
Small and micro-cap stocks are meant to be the mid to large caps of the future. But a combination of structural and cyclical trends have some in the market questioning their long-term viability.
Beware the ‘misleading’ label on your super
A former chief investment officer has questioned the labelling of high-growth default options and criticised the concentration of assets in the US equity markets.
February
Where were the gatekeepers in the $480m Shield Master Fund collapse?
The 5800 investors caught up in the failed scheme would surely wonder why alarms didn’t go off. Tony Boyd sifts through the entrails to find out what happened.
Four CBA bosses on what makes the bank great
The four CEOs who have run the Commonwealth Bank over the past 30 years share their views on why CBA has managed to consistently outperform its peers.
January
ASX needs to plug $1bn liquidity hole
Helen Lofthouse, CEO of the equities market operator, will start the year with another apology for the embarrassing pre-Christmas outage, but that’s the least of her problems.
December 2024
Time for big super to lift board skills
Big super thinks of itself as an engine of the financial system. But big funds need to bridge the gap between their directors’ skills and those managing the billions in retirement savings.
November 2024
MinRes scandal: Where was internal audit?
The non-executive director and former KPMG partner in charge of cleaning up the miner’s conflicts of interest mess will have to review the internal audit work done by KPMG.
Why can’t Macquarie make up its mind on what CBA is worth?
When CBA reports strong quarterly profits this week, leading banking analysts will say sell. But their colleagues in wealth management will tell clients to buy.
October 2024
BHP outsmarts the Brazilians – but at what price?
BHP has won its battle to minimise the costs of the Samarco dam failure, but it is yet to convince locals of its commitment to fairness and justice.
Scam reform lacks teeth
Australia has been a happy hunting ground for criminals running high-tech scams. New laws may not help consumers seeking compensation.
September 2024
No end to Australia’s love affair with solar
Rapidly declining solar feed-in tariffs could change the way Australian households manage their renewable energy. That is bound to be good for the grid.
Gina Rinehart continues her father’s tax crusade
After years railing against the burden of government regulations, the iron ore billionaire is winning support for another key policy passion – lower taxes for northern Australians.
Class action skewers Rio Tinto’s Bougainville redemption
A secretive company is disrupting efforts to finally make amends for the environmental devastation caused by its copper mine in Bougainville some 30 years ago.