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The Paris-aligned benchmarks that an increasing number of global investors now subscribe to disincentivise activities that might actually help the energy transition, according to index provider Scientific Beta.

AMP recently promoted senior economist Diana Mousina to a new role, deputy chief economist, in recognition of her achievements and succession path. Like other economists, Mousina sees a recession on the cards for Australia, although the timeline may be longer than many hope.

While the housing market shows faint signs of recovery following the RBA’s decision to pause interest rate hikes, those benefits have not yet begun to flow through to Australia’s rental market, new research shows, with all signs pointing to a long-term rental crisis.

The market for exchange-traded products posted 5 per cent year-over-year growth in March, while listed investment companies continued to see assets under management fall, new ASX data shows. As rising interest rates and cost-of-living bite, though, the trend has begun to slow, with investors seeking safety in defensive ETFs.

After posting a 16.6 per cent average annual return since 2014 and 31.8 per cent in FY20/21, the Cyan 3G Fund lost 35.8 per cent in FY21/22. So how does it feel, as a fund manager, when things head south in dramatic fashion? The fund’s co-founder, Dean Fergie, speaks to The Inside Network’s James Dunn.

With rising financial stability risk complicating the already uncertain outlook for global economies, the IMF warns a hard landing is becoming more likely, while Australia is set for particularly weak growth in the short-term. Inflation remains the prevailing concern.

The current economic cycle is too changeable to set any portfolio to autopilot, according to Mason Stevens’ Jacqueline Fernley. Counterpoints to conviction are needed, and the devil’s advocate should be your friend.

The ethical money manager says Lendlease failed to provide information required to independently assess the impact of its planned development in Mount Gilead, an area deemed critical to the survival of a resident koala colony.

Stakeholders hope the government’s proposed nature repair market – intended to work in parallel with the Australian carbon market – will drive the significant private investment needed to create positive, rather than just net-zero, impacts on biodiversity.

Most borrowers have continued to service their debts despite rising interest rates, while the strong labour market has underpinned income growth. However, as debt levels rise, the share of Australian mortgage holders with disposable income is dropping, according to a new report.

As part of the RBA’s program exploring a potential Australian central bank digital currency, ANZ has successfully completed a tokenised carbon credit trade using a stablecoin backed by a pilot CBDC, with more use cases set to be tested soon.

The changes to the Your Future Your Super performance test are an improvement, according to Willis Towers Watson. But the application of the test to trustee-directed products is probably more of a negative than a positive, and some benchmarks remain inflexible.