February
Chalmers and super chiefs talk tariffs with Bessent in Washington
Jim Chalmers sat alone in the front row and listened attentively as his US contemporary clarified an important point about Donald Trump’s favourite word.
Infratil, Future Fund scoop up stake in $16b-plus CDC Data Centres
Sources said the deal was signed shortly after 6pm, and would see Future Fund take a bigger piece of CDC than Infratil.
January
Top super investors dash pre-election rate cut hopes
But they say investors should be optimistic about inflation easing despite later cuts and risks associated with Donald Trump taking the White House.
December 2024
The $330b fund busting big super’s ‘buy and hold’ myth
Australian Retirement Trust’s real assets arm has been the biggest driver of infrastructure and utilities deals in Australia and New Zealand this year.
How big super is spending your money on sponsorship and marketing
Jumps in advertising spends at industry giants such as Aware Super and UniSuper came despite a crackdown by the watchdog questioning whether these costs are in members’ best interests.
November 2024
Airtree raises $650m for new start-up investment funds
The money for the high-profile venture capital firm’s two new vehicles came from institutional investors in the US and from three Australian super funds.
Australia’s most complained about super funds revealed
Embattled construction industry fund Cbus topped the list of major funds, new data shows, but complaints across the sector jumped last financial year.
October 2024
Big super’s executive gender pay gap revealed
Analysis by The Australian Financial Review also shows who the highest-paid superannuation bosses were last year.
Revealed: Which super fund directors earn the most
Payments to directors at one fund outstripped those of comparable size by more than half a million dollars, despite delivering worse returns than most of their rivals, analysis by AFR Weekend shows.
September 2024
Big super says cutting bank investments will hurt members
“Without funding from super funds, banks would be much more dependent on volatile foreign capital,” AustralianSuper chief strategy officer Paula Benson says.
The country’s two mega funds now attract half of all new super
But the growth of AustralianSuper and Australian Retirement Trust beyond all their other peers could be a “double-edged sword” according to some analysts.
ART buys Queensland’s 33pc of NZ poles-and-wires biz Powerco
The deal takes ART to 58 per cent ownership of Powerco, up from 25 per cent.
August 2024
New Perpetual CEO hired to take ‘legacy into the next phase’
The company has hired the former head of a $300 billion super fund giant, Bernard Reilly, to manage the break-up of the 138-year-old firm.
Why this super fund is moving younger customers into a riskier option
In his first media interview since taking the reins at ART, David Anderson says customers will earn more. It’s just part of his bold growth plan.
This $300b super fund is making a monster move to stocks
Australian Retirement Trust has decided that a big chunk of its members will do a lot better with their pension nest egg invested in riskier assets.
July 2024
Is your super fund among these winners?
Investment chiefs of the top performers say there are still plenty of opportunities for the artificial intelligence revolution to drive up retirement savings.
ART closes in on AustralianSuper’s top spot with new merger
The deal will add Qantas’ $9 billion in funds under management to the Australian Retirement Trust’s ballooning $280 billion-plus asset pool.
Top 10 super funds revealed for FY24
A small mining industry fund delivered the highest returns for the second year in a row, with two retail super giants joining it in first place.
No rate cuts and maybe a rise as inflation sticks, super funds warn
The investment chiefs of the country’s biggest funds also have a bleak outlook for Aussie shares over the next year, after global equities drove double-digit returns in FY23.
Super fund savings will ride out ‘year of elections’: CIOs
But investment chiefs warn that the rise of populism or an increase in US-China tensions could flow through to short-term returns.