Reconnecting and engaging superannuation fund members. To understand the widely perceived disengagement of superannuation fund members, the project team will collaborate with UniSuper and the human resources departments of two large Australian universities on a large-scale, state-of-the-art experiment. This project will provide theoretical, and hands-on, advice to reconnect and engage fund members to enhance/improve retirement savings decisions.
Super Financial Security: Improving Flexibility, Trust and Communication. This project aims to address the significant worldwide challenge of how to safeguard financial wellbeing at older ages. In doing so it aims to investigate three important and interconnected influences on retirement preparation: flexible choice architecture, trust formation and effective communication. The project aims to use a combination of innovative modelling, experimental and field-based approaches. The principal expec ....Super Financial Security: Improving Flexibility, Trust and Communication. This project aims to address the significant worldwide challenge of how to safeguard financial wellbeing at older ages. In doing so it aims to investigate three important and interconnected influences on retirement preparation: flexible choice architecture, trust formation and effective communication. The project aims to use a combination of innovative modelling, experimental and field-based approaches. The principal expected outcomes are insights into the factors that guide superannuation choice, build trust with superannuation providers, and ensure clear and effective communication with members.Read moreRead less
Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maint ....Designing Weather Derivatives and Yield Index Contracts for Rural Australia. This project addresses the security of communities in rural areas. Successful risk management based on weather derivatives and yield index contracts will stabilise the income of rural industries and improve the financial viability of rural communities. It will allow systemic risks from climate change to be reinsured with financial institutions, maintain some of Australia's most important export industries and help maintain leadership in climate risk research. It will use state of the art methods to derive and estimate nonlinear yield indexes, and develop new option pricing methods to value the premium that farmers should pay for a yield index contract. Finally it will evaluate the likely adoption by farmers using nonlinear portfolio theory.Read moreRead less
Developing sustainable retirement policy in a Chinese province: the case of Zhejiang. Much Chinese national policy has its origins in provincial initiatives, and this is especially true of retirement policy, where information about individuals is held by provinces. This project examines Zhejiang Province, one of the most innovative in policy. It promises to yield rich insights into retirement policy formulation in China.
Hedge Funds in Superannuation Portfolios: Are the Returns Worth the Risks? In recent years superannuation funds have delivered negative returns to members due to poorly performing stockmarkets. In striving to achieve higher rates of return, superannuation trustees have commenced allocating retirement savings to a new type of investment opportunity, termed hedge funds. There is a paucity of research about this new type of investment, particularly relating to the non-linear nature of hedge funds ....Hedge Funds in Superannuation Portfolios: Are the Returns Worth the Risks? In recent years superannuation funds have delivered negative returns to members due to poorly performing stockmarkets. In striving to achieve higher rates of return, superannuation trustees have commenced allocating retirement savings to a new type of investment opportunity, termed hedge funds. There is a paucity of research about this new type of investment, particularly relating to the non-linear nature of hedge funds returns. This study will investigate the risk and return trade-off of including hedge funds in superannuation portfolios and provide trustees with empirical tools to determine the optimal allocation to hedge funds.Read moreRead less
Mandatory pre-funded retirement income schemes: Best policy and practice. This innovative project aims to leverage in-depth knowledge of two mandatory pre-funded retirement income systems, Australia and the Netherlands to create new findings to significantly advance policy and practice in these two countries. Mandatory pre-funded retirement income structures adopt a range of approaches regarding choice and drawdown structures. This project aims to use survey and experimental techniques, and stoc ....Mandatory pre-funded retirement income schemes: Best policy and practice. This innovative project aims to leverage in-depth knowledge of two mandatory pre-funded retirement income systems, Australia and the Netherlands to create new findings to significantly advance policy and practice in these two countries. Mandatory pre-funded retirement income structures adopt a range of approaches regarding choice and drawdown structures. This project aims to use survey and experimental techniques, and stochastic life-cycle models, to investigate comparative choice frameworks and the menu of retirement income products in the two countries. It aims to deliver models for improved policy and retirement income designs, producing outcomes which aim to generate global benefit as more countries move towards this pension paradigm.Read moreRead less
Information Content of Order Flows in the Foreign Exchange and Commodities Markets. The Australian economy depends heavily on resources and commodities markets. The Australian dollar is the sixth most actively traded currency in the world and is more volatile than all other major currencies except the Japanese yen. The proposed study seeks to improve volatility forecasts and hedging effectiveness for foreign exchange and commodity risks, which will create significant benefits for the Australian ....Information Content of Order Flows in the Foreign Exchange and Commodities Markets. The Australian economy depends heavily on resources and commodities markets. The Australian dollar is the sixth most actively traded currency in the world and is more volatile than all other major currencies except the Japanese yen. The proposed study seeks to improve volatility forecasts and hedging effectiveness for foreign exchange and commodity risks, which will create significant benefits for the Australian economy, corporations, and investors. In addition, the project will enhance investment performance and risk management practice of financial institutions, improving the overall safety of our financial system. It will also foster research culture and increase research capacity of Australian financial institutions.Read moreRead less
The Management of Asymmetric Risk in a Modern Investment Portfolio. Due to compulsory superannuation legislation, the future lifestyle of all Australians is dependent upon the successful management of investment funds. A large component of funds management is risk management. This project will generate practical management tools to enable portfolio managers to significantly enhance their risk-management strategies. A direct link between risk management and performance drives funds managers to ....The Management of Asymmetric Risk in a Modern Investment Portfolio. Due to compulsory superannuation legislation, the future lifestyle of all Australians is dependent upon the successful management of investment funds. A large component of funds management is risk management. This project will generate practical management tools to enable portfolio managers to significantly enhance their risk-management strategies. A direct link between risk management and performance drives funds managers to carefully manage their risk exposure. Any developments that reduce the risk of a portfolio will ultimately enhance portfolio returns. Higher returns on superannuation investments will result in an improved future standard of living for all Australians.Read moreRead less
Understanding market mechanisms to achieve greater efficiency in institutional equities and futures markets. This project investigates the impact of high frequency trading on financial market quality. Financial markets are essential for capital raising and form a critical part of the Australian economy. Ordinary residents have billions invested in it through superannuation. Deterioration in market quality leads to poor consumer confidence, increases firms’ cost of capital and transaction costs, ....Understanding market mechanisms to achieve greater efficiency in institutional equities and futures markets. This project investigates the impact of high frequency trading on financial market quality. Financial markets are essential for capital raising and form a critical part of the Australian economy. Ordinary residents have billions invested in it through superannuation. Deterioration in market quality leads to poor consumer confidence, increases firms’ cost of capital and transaction costs, and ultimately reduces retirement quality. The proliferation of high frequency trading in financial markets requires a thorough understanding of their impact on market quality. This project aims to lead to more efficient regulation, improving financial markets and making Australia attractive to investors and enhancing the quality of retirement for residents.Read moreRead less
Regional financial stability: ownership linkages of financial institutions and propagation of systemic risk. Financial stability in our region has a significant effect on the prosperity, competitiveness and viability of the Australian financial industry. This project will analyse how the ownership of financial institutions in the Asian and European regions can contribute to regional and global financial stability with a focus on systemic risk and governance.