September
Record $12.9m greenwashing penalty puts fund managers on notice: ASIC
Federal Court fined Vanguard $12.9 million for failing to exclude certain investments against ESG criteria and instead relying on third parties.
- Hannah Wootton
ASX nears record; Trump shooting crisis; Bunnings CEO hits back
Read everything that’s happened in the news so far today.
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Big AGM voter Vanguard ready to wield its proxies to challenge boards
One of the biggest voices at the upcoming AGM season outlines its thinking: don’t expect ideological stances, but do expect a strict focus on skills and pay.
- Anthony Macdonald
Big round of redundancies at Vanguard Australia
Vanguard’s local outpost has pushed through a sizeable round of redundancies in a rare move for the business.
- Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
July
- Exclusive
- Venture capital
Rich Chinese investors join $1b hunt for Aussie VC funds
A fund manager for rich Chinese investors is trying to raise $100m for venture capital investments, joining a crowd of operators trying to raise over $1 billion.
- Yolanda Redrup and Paul Smith
June
- Opinion
- Chanticleer
Story of change in rise of Betashares, decline of Perpetual and AMP
The shift from active to passive management is changing the face of Australia’s financial sector. Unaffordable housing could shift things again.
- James Thomson
Musk says shareholders approving his $75b pay package
It’s D-Day for the Tesla CEO as shareholders vote on his controversial pay package – with major implications for the billionaire and his company.
- Updated
- Trisha Thadani
March
Vanguard guilty of greenwashing in ASIC’s first major court win
The funds management giant could be on the hook for millions of dollars in damages, though the court rejected aspects of ASIC’s case.
- Hannah Wootton
February
Death of the star stockpicker: Investors pull $230b from hedge funds
Clients are tiring of managers’ poor returns in bull and bear markets.
- Costas Mourselas
January
Economists fear unintended consequences of the RBA overhaul
In The Australian Financial Review’s quarterly survey economists warn making the central bank more transparent could lead to slip-ups and muddle policy signals.
- Cecile Lefort
December 2023
Musk blasts public markets in talk with Wood
Elon Musk bemoaned the high regulatory burden faced by publicly traded companies in a wide-ranging talk with Cathie Wood.
- Emily Graffeo and Kurt Wagner
- Opinion
- Investing
A quick guide to investing for kids (and how to deal with tax)
If the income earned is linked to a child’s tax file number, there will be no capital gains tax when they turn 18.
- Balaji Gopal
Vanguard’s biggest bond ETF becomes first to break $151b
The highest yields in years have made fixed-income more appealing, while exchange traded funds have consistently stolen market share from their more expensive mutual fund brethren.
- Katie Greifeld
October 2023
- Exclusive
- Aviation
Future Fund to vote against Qantas director Todd Sampson
The sovereign wealth fund, and other large investors in the airline, will not support the re-election of the advertising executive to the airline’s board.
- Ayesha de Kretser and John Kehoe
ETFs quietly rewrite rule books amid regulatory crackdown
ASIC’s move on Vanguard for alleged misleading marketing has the rest of the ETF sector scrambling.
- Nina Hendy
September 2023
- Opinion
- Passive investing
The ‘Aldi’ ETF that delivers an extra 0.21pc
Fees charged by funds based on the same index can make a difference to returns, which is why it’s worth taking a closer look.
- Tim Mackay
August 2023
BlackRock hit by backlash after fall in ESG votes
The New York City comptroller has accused the $14.7 trillion asset management group of giving in to a war against environmental, social and governance causes.
- Nicholas Megaw, Brooke Masters and Madison Darbyshire
BlackRock, State Street scramble to manage greenwashing risk
Alarmed by ASIC’s case against Vanguard, asset managers across the board have been meeting to discuss vulnerability to prosecution.
- Updated
- Hannah Wootton and Joanna Mather
State Street undercuts BlackRock, Vanguard with cheapest S&P ETF
Tiny fee cuts have become common as issuers battle for flows in an increasingly saturated market.
- Katie Greifeld
July 2023
ASIC accuses Vanguard of greenwashing in $1b-plus bond fund
After claiming to have screened out fossil fuels, the fund was invested in Chevron, an oil pipeline in the US and Abu Dhabi, and a petroleum company in Chile.
- Hannah Wootton