Networth News

Financial Planning

Hope emerges for FOFA changes. The Parliamentary Joint Committee on Corporations and Financial Services (PJC) has given financial planners some hope that it may recommend more than just token changes to the Future of Financial Advice (FOFA) bills by recommending key changes to legislation covering payday lenders. Read full article

Independents merge for scale, growth. As vertically-integrated changes dominate the world of dealer groups, the non-aligned sector is at the beginning stage of a fundamental transformation of mergers and acquisitions. Read full article

Superannuation

Superannuation assets down $50 billion in third quarter. Total superannuation assets decreased by $49.9 billion (3.8 per cent) over the September 2011 quarter, leaving the size of the superannuation industry at $1.28 trillion. Read full article

Only 50 superannuation funds left by 2026, projects Rice Warner. The number of superannuation funds (excluding small APRA funds) will fall below 200 by 2016, and by 2026 there are only likely to be 50 funds, according to Rice Warner managing director Michael Rice. Read full article

Regulatory

Govt releases intra-fund advice rules. The federal government has announced a new set of rules that superannuation trustees will have to comply with to ensure intra-fund advice is provided in the members’ best interest and at a reasonable cost. Read full article

Why the watchdog is at your door. ASIC will contact 30 Australian financial services licensees as part of the next phase of its review of financial advice industry practices. Read full article

Funds management

Multi-sector demand to increase among high end investors. Demand for multi-sector funds is likely to remain elevated in the current volatile environment, with increased interest from larger and more sophisticated investors, according to Standard & Poor’s. Read full article

Hedge funds remain a strong investment option - Zenith. Eleven managed funds have been given a ‘recommended’ rating in Zenith Investment Partners 2011 Multi Strategy and Fund of Hedge Funds Sector Review. Read full article

Investments

Global investment stifled by market volatility. Concern for the global investment market has deepened over the past year, as European sovereign debt and slow growth in China continues to drive market volatility. Read full article

Greed and fear: anchoring and aversion to ambiguity. Emotions and investor psychology can play a powerful role in driving share market returns and the sharp rebound in 2009 could see a return to ‘greed’, after two years of ‘fear’. Read full article

Markets

Solid economy, soft stocks in 2012. Global economic growth prospects are positive for 2012 but the same cannot be said for equities, according to economists at three large financial institutions.Read full article

Asia heavily exposed to a global credit crunch. Australia's key trading region in the Asia Pacific is the most vulnerable part of the world to a sudden capital strike by global banks, a leading economic authority has warned. Read full article