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Lukasz de Pourbaix, Chief Investment Officer, Lonsec
We are only at the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the possible applications of blockchain technology and we will also see significant developments in cryptocurrencies that operate off blockchain protocols. There are many questions yet to be answered and more work needs to be done as to what role, if any, cryptocurrencies may play in a diversified portfolio.
Read MoreMatthew Condon, Head of Asset Allocation, Togethr Trustees (Equip & Catholic Super)
Our asset allocation evolves depending on market conditions and very low bond yields provide us with several problems to solve. With very low cash rates and rising inflation we are seeing negative real returns on cash and traditional bond investments, which makes them very unattractive. As such, the direction, and speed, of any movement in bond yields are key focal points for markets this year.
Read MoreMichael Wyrsch, Chief Investment Officer, Vision Super
Expected returns for most asset classes, particularly defensive asset classes, are low. Building a balanced portfolio with decent return expectations and tolerable levels of volatility is increasingly difficult. Attaining return objectives is further complicated by the impact climate change is having on investor behaviour and returns, the possibility of markets being affected by disruptive innovation and changes to the operating environment due to never-ending evolution in the regulatory regime super funds face.
Read MoreBen Kilmartin, Investment Committee Chair, Drummond Capital Partners
As investors, we cannot predict the future, but we can prepare our clients’ portfolios for various scenarios that may occur. From that perspective, it is important to have a dynamic and active approach to managing portfolios that enables us to capitalise on opportunities and navigate portfolios through risk events as they arise.
Read MorePaul Bevin, General Manager Investments, NZ Government Superannuation Fund and the National Provident Fund
For the vast bulk of investors represented by institutional funds or otherwise, their core portfolio should comprise a market cap weighted global equity portfolio.
As far as global equities are concerned, we try to maintain exposure to a range of rewarded factors and time horizons and rely on our active managers to capitalise on various thematics and market pricing dynamics to add value. Exposure to innovation through small caps, private equity and venture capital is also important.
Read MoreColin Liang, RWC China Equity Fund, RWC Partners
As China transforms into a consumption-based economy, premiumisation is becoming a growing phenomenon fueling the economy’s growth, however there are also a number of key investment themes playing out in China that are driving opportunities which investors may seek to capture in their portfolios in pursuit of alpha.
Read MoreGarry Evans, Chief Strategist - Global Asset Allocation, BCA Research
Many investors are asking themselves if a 60-40 equity/bond portfolio makes sense anymore. If bond yields, and therefore likely bond returns, are so low, why should investors own government bonds at all? And, if you do not want to hold bonds much further into the future, what do you buy?
Read MoreSuzanne Tavill, Global Head of Responsible Investing, StepStone Group
Investing mainstream capital purposefully with particular non-financial outcomes in mind, at the aggregate societal level, may shift sufficient capital flows to address climate change and build a more just and equitable society. However, responsible investing, like any fast-evolving space requires standardisation of policies and processes and for investors to master the tools of trade around non-financial issues.
Read MoreDebbie Alliston, Chief Investment Officer, AMP Capital, Multi-Asset Group
The market environment continues to present ongoing and evolving challenges. It is evident that zero rates and QE programs are not going away any time soon, and those policies will also keep evolving. This necessitates the adaptation of what a ‘defensive’ portfolio looks like.
Read MoreMatt Whineray, Chief Executive Officer, NZ Super Fund
As an industry we need to think long term and holistically about performance, to achieve better outcomes for our ultimate beneficiaries.
The challenge is to ensure that the individual decisions that make up our financial system are made not just with short term financial success in mind, but with our ultimate beneficiaries’ long-term interests at heart. With that in mind, the Fund underwent a portfolio review in 2020 from which a number of important decisions were reached.
Winston Ma, CFA & Esq., Adjunct Professor, NYU School of Law, Former Managing Director, China Investment Corporation, Author of China's Mobile Economy, The Hunt for Unicorns and The Digital War
SWFs are the frontier investors in today’s capital markets. Collectively, they are estimated to have US$30 trillion in assets under management and as a result, wield enormous power in the financial world.
With so many exciting developments – and global tensions – in play at the moment which sit at the intersection of sovereign investment funds, cross-border tech investing and digital economy regulations, Winston finds himself back in the midst of capital market for tech investing and making sense of the rapid changes taking place.
Tony Crabb, National director, Research, Cushman and Wakefield
Government policy, demographics, technology and the environment, are but a few of the many drivers impacting the prospects for returns in commercial property. In this interview we explore these and some of the other key trends impacting returns, the key trends unfolding in markets now and where investors can look to capitalise on opportunities in the coming years.
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