Ben Hurley
Taipei
As seen in:
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Business journalist. Obsessive beer brewer and fermentation hobbyist. Surfer, hiker, camper. Former Falun Gong practitioner now enjoying life.
Articles by Ben Hurley
Reasons to be bullish on China’s financial markets: Top economist
Investors have plenty of reasons to be bullish about China’s financial markets in 2025, according to one of the country’s top economists, as tech stocks continue to rally and expectations grow that the central government will soon shift to a looser macroeconomic policy stance. The Hang Seng tech index, which tracks the 30 largest tech companies listed in Hong Kong, has gained 30.7 per cent since the beginning of the year while Nasdaq 100 dropped 2 per cent.
Futures Trading Platform Made Available to US Brokers by Devexperts
Devexperts, the global software developer for the capital markets industry, has launched a turnkey futures and options trading platform. The platform will enable brokers expanding into futures and options trading to allow the execution of these types of contracts via Devexperts’ technology. The platform can be deployed out-of-the-box, or fully or partly customized.
Ben Hurley Appointed CEO of Devexperts, Driving New Wave of Innovation and Growth
Devexperts, a global software developer for the capital markets, has announced the appointment of Ben Hurley as its new Chief Executive Officer. This strategic move highlights the company’s commitment to a new phase of growth, building on years of evolution and development. It underscores a forward-looking vision for delivering tailored technology solutions to its global client base of financial institutions and brokerages.
Finland's VER reflects on how to enliven European venture capital
More innovation originates from the US than in Europe, says Timo Löyttyniemi CEO of the €21.6 billion Finnish State Pension Fund (VER), and while Europe has made several attempts to respond to the dominance of US tech giants, the US venture capital market is stronger, and most IPOs take place in the US. But although European innovation has not been as attractive an investments as US tech Löyttyniemi argues in a recent post on the fund’s website, that could change.
'Please hold the line' - Ben Hurley dials up waiting music options
Silence is golden, according to the adage. But silence would be deafening when it comes to the often unbearable and ubiquitous human experience of being kept on hold. That's why hold music was created. Comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley investigates whether there's a better alternative to hold music. "Your call is important to us." Is it? Well then, why is it taking so long for you to answer?
Investimental Launches US Market Trading in Romania
Investimental, a fast-growing Romanian stock brokerage, and Devexperts, a financial software provider, are announcing their partnership which brings US market access to retail investors in Romania. Investimental has deployed Devexperts’ flagship product, DXtrade XT, a trading platform for brokers offering stocks, options, futures, mutual funds, and bonds. By choosing the Devexperts platform, the Romanian company has gained a competitive advantage.
Ben Hurley: What's in a name? A lot, if you don't like it
Our given name is one of the only things about ourselves that we don't choose, and studies say lots of us dislike the name we were given at birth — but very few of us ever do anything about it, writes comedian Ben Hurley. Until I was seven years old, I was Benji. Then, a small, plucky, fictional dog with the same name changed everything.
Hamilton and heavy metal: Ben Hurley gets under the skin of Devilskin
The label "hardest working" gets bandied about a lot in the entertainment industry — it can refer to actors, comedians, and musicians alike, writes comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley. It can be a bit of a backhanded compliment, with the subtext being that more naturally talented artists can float through life without effort, and those with fewer God-given gifts must be more conscientious.
Ben Hurley: Why are celebrity book clubs booming?
Oprah Winfrey has one, Reece Witherspoon has one, and Kiwi broadcaster Toni Street also has one. They're all the rage. Comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley reads between the lines of the celebrity book club phenomenon. Have you ever gone to a restaurant and found too many things on the menu? There's a high cost of choice at a place like that. For every dish you didn't choose that had the opportunity to be the best thing you'd ever eaten, you're eating the other thing you chose instead.
Top1000funds.com rated “most useful” by readers - Top1000funds.com
Research into Top100funds.com readers’ preferences and habits reveals that the publication is rated as the most useful to them in the performance of their jobs, and is read by some of the most senior investment professionals inside asset-owner organisations around the world. New independent research reveals that Top1000funds.com readers consider the publication the most useful of its type for delivering news, insights and analysis that help them in their jobs.
Looking backwards is a poor way to assess Asia’s future
The specific drivers of growth for Asian economies means a traditional view of asset allocation is not necessarily the best way to approach investing in the region, the 2024 Top100funds.com Fiduciary Investors Symposium in Singapore has heard.
Ben Hurley: Gone fishing — offshore, thanks to an app
Fishing can be one of the great solitary endeavours, writes comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley. You can reflect on your thoughts in the great wide open while engaging in the primaeval desire to hunt and gather. Who are we? What does it all mean? When fish are hunting other fish, do they still call it "fishing"? I had all these thoughts when I was fishing off the shore by myself until I got a bit, well, lonely.
Purse strings loosen, despite rising concern about public equity valuations
The 2024 CIO Sentiment Survey, a global collaboration between Top1000funds.com and CaseyQuirk, part of Deloitte Consulting, finds asset owners increasingly willing to make significant allocation shifts after several years of reticence. They have a greater appetite for risk and are increasingly experimenting with new asset classes, but they are concerned about high public equity valuations.
Bite and a pint: Ben Hurley digests what makes a good gastropub
They're more than just a boozer with an elevated food menu — or are they? Comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley investigates what makes a good gastropub. "Can we please do something about the name?" I semi-pleaded with the head of Hospitality NZ, Steve Armitage. "Gastro, followed by anything, is never usually a good thing," I said.
Top that! Ben Hurley's answer to our exploding kina population is pizza
It’s often observed that we live in a divided world. But polarisation does not confine itself to politics in modern society, writes comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley. People are increasingly tribal about sport, music, art, in fact, all forms of entertainment and, of course, food. Often described as the “Marmite” phenomenon in that you either “love it” or “hate it”, the more ardent the distaste for something by one side, the more zealous the fandom from the opposition.
Ben Hurley, Mitchell Santner meet ultimate backyard cricketer
Comedian and Seven Sharp reporter Ben Hurley meets a cricket fan whose love of the game has transformed his life and career. Stand-up comedy is a lot about adrenaline. It's a lot of people's number one fear, meaning you need that hormone coursing through your heart to even step to the mic.
Ben Hurley: The great Coromandel comeback
It's not often you hear a good news story about a road. The term "blowout" is applied often to budget and definitely to a timeframe. Incredibly, this was not so much the case with State Highway 25A, a crucial strip of tar seal between Kōpū and Hikuai that's a lifeline for the economy of the eastern Coromandel Peninsula. A year ago, during January 2023's storms, the 25A was knocked out with a landslide. It was closed and initial fears were that it may never reopen.
Asset managers inconsistent on labour rights: 2023 proxy voting results
Asset owners collaborating to influence labour rights in investee companies have another string to their bow with the release of the Committee on Workers’ Capital report examining large fund manager voting performance. The report, designed in part to help investors hold fund managers to account, looked at 13 resolutions in the 2023 proxy voting season examining the number of supported resolutions, as well as the consistency and transparency of behaviour in manager proxy voting.
COP28 points investors towards 2030 & 2035
The wave of comments post-COP28 could easily leave some overwhelmed when it comes to volume, but underwhelmed when it comes to actual outcomes, and the question of what the global stocktake actually delivered on the pace of the climate transition? Looking from afar, existing, and emerging trends are evident in the results of this COP, even if it did not go as far as many would have liked.
At COP28, financial sector innovation bolsters headlines
COP28 in Dubai had all the ingredients for both decisive action and controversy. Given the UAE’s status as a significant fossil fuel producer, it was seen by many as the host likeliest both to commit significant resources as well as face criticism from climate campaigners. Perhaps inevitably, both happened. First, action. COP28 produced the most deliberate commitment from participants to move away from fossil fuels, in the form of its annual “global stocktake”.
Norway's GPFG argues the case for private equity
Norges Bank Investment Management, investment manager of Norway’s $1.5 trillion wealth fund, Government Pension Fund Global, has once again petitioned policy makers in the Ministry of Finance to let it invest in private equity. NBIM is requesting a 3-5 per cent allocation with large and mid-sized managers that will extend into a co-investment program overtime.
Behind CalSTRS’ cost savings: Better returns and control of risks
CalSTRS has saved more than $1.6 billion in costs since 2017 thanks to its collaborative model approach, which brings more assets in-house and encourages the use of different investment vehicles, including co-investment, joint ventures, SMAs, direct ownership and revenue share. Now, as it sets its targets for the next five years, it’s looking to measure the other benefits of the program, including boosted returns and more control over risks.
Ben Hurley: What makes Taupō so beautiful?
If I told you that you had a beautiful body (of water), would you hold it against me? Taupō certainly has one of those. Fifty-nine cubic kilometres of shimmering blue, trout-laden, volcanic lake. I mean, have you ever seen a postcard of Taupō that didn't include quite a lot of that 25,000-year-old caldera? However, it is Taupō city (or town) that has just received recognition as the MOST beautiful.
Meeting multiple objectives: The pension fund addressing mental health
With the right governance models pension funds can play a role in broader societal issues, such as mental health in the workplace, while still delivering financial security for members.
Private equity well positioned to decarbonise portfolios, but still lagging
Private equity has the potential to play a strong role in decarbonising portfolios, but many funds are lagging both in transparency and in action towards net zero, investors from Harvard and Oxford endowments and the French fund Caisse de Depots said in a panel discussion looking at the challenges of integrating sustainability in alternative asset classes.
Unprecedented challenges in a world of plenty
Renowned geopolitics professor Stephen Kotkin remains an “unbelievable optimist about where the world is,” despite the ever-present potential for catastrophe. Kotkin described the benefits science and development have brought to humanity while simultaneously warning investors of the massive uncertainty the world now faces, in a discussion at the Sustainability in Practice conference, held at Oxford University and organised by Top1000funds.com.
The broader organisational benefits that come with responsible investing
Responsible investing forces investors to take a wider perspective and directly confront ambiguity and brings a wide range of benefits to organisations including clearer purpose, better talent attraction and the ability to navigate complex multi-stakeholder issues, experts say.
Transparency, predictability underpin impact investing at Norges Bank
Predictability and transparency are fundamental to having impact as a global responsible investor, according to Wilhelm Mohn, the global head of governance at Norges Bank Investment Management, which manages Norway’s $1.43 trillion Government Pension Fund Global. Owning around 1.4 per cent of the world’s equities and managing 95 per cent of them in-house, Norges took top spot in this year’s Global Pension Transparency Benchmark.
Products and services, not operations, key to assessing ESG
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Products and services, not operations, key to assessing ESG
Global asset management firm Robeco has differentiated its ESG assessment methodology to give a more accurate picture of the impact investors have on sustainable development goals (SDGs), according to Rachel Whittaker, the firm’s head of sustainable investment research.
Politicisation, poor governance to blame for backlash against ESG
CIOs need to fight back against the politicisation of ESG in the United States by adopting sound governance principles and not allowing their funds to be “pinned down to one side of the [political] spectrum,” according to John Skjervem, the chief investment officer at Utah Retirement Systems.
Thoughtful engagement on ESG is the epitome of good active management: Pict
Investors’ approach to ESG has evolved considerably, particularly in the area of engagement with portfolio companies, and encouraging change through active and targeted engagement is “the epitome of what active managers can do,” according to Yuko Takano, senior investment manager, equities, at Pictet Asset Management in the UK.
Board control critical to ESG stewardship in unlisted infrastructure
Investors can de-risk and increase the long-term returns of unlisted infrastructure assets by enacting forward-looking ESG transitions, investors say, but they need to ensure sufficient control at the board level. In a panel session looking at sustainability in unlisted infrastructure, Sophie Durham, head of ESG, Europe, at Igneo Infrastructure Partners in the United Kingdom, said Igneo always ensures board positions in its investments, and takes a proactive approach to asset management.
The unique challenge of decarbonising real estate as the population grows
Structural mega-trends underpin demand for real assets, and asset owners face the challenge of decarbonising real estate as the world population grows, said Abi Dean, global head of strategic insights, at Nuveen Real Assets. With the global population set to exceed 9 billion by 2050, demand will only grow for agriculture and housing, Dean said.
Why a successful transition to a low energy world is likely within 20 years
The world is shifting from a regime where climate change is viewed as a shared burden or a hot potato to pass around, to one where it is a “business opportunity that everyone should be scrambling to make money from,” according to University of Oxford Professor J. Doyne Farmer, citing probabilistic assessments by his team.
Pop-up sauna project: Kiwi tradies combine both sea and sauna
The ancient tradition of sauna is not widely practised in New Zealand — certainly when compared to countries in Europe. Kiwis tend to prefer the beach. But a couple of Bay of Plenty builders have found a way to combine both sea and sauna. Evidence of saunas has been found dating back as far as the 4th century BC but it's unlikely those ancient Fins and Estonians would have ever thought that a sauna could be delivered to a New Zealand beach on the back of a Subaru.
Net zero targets drift out of reach but dynamic change is still possible
Net zero emission targets may cover most of the global economy, but the world is not going to deliver on its net zero promises, warned Oxford University’s Cameron Hepburn, speaking at Sustainability in Practice. Hepburn, who is Battcock Professor of Environmental Economics and director of the Economics of Sustainability Programme at Oxford’s Institute of New Economic Thinking, said there is not enough accountability or transparency to hold governments and corporations to their net zero promises.
Abundant opportunities in dynamic, decentralised energy generation
The world is shifting from having very few centralised power stations feeding electricity into the grid, to a more dynamic market with abundant opportunities for investors, according to Alex Brierley, co-head, Octopus Energy Generation, a specialist renewable energy and energy transition manager with about £6 billion worth of assets under management.
The story behind Auckland's new Samoan fine dining restaurant
Henry Onesemo is a chef who has walked anything but a regular path. He was born in American Samoa because his Western Samoan parents wanted him "to get an American passport, go to the States and become a millionaire". Onesemo's love of food started young. Memories of early Sunday morning trips to the fish market and helping his Dad prepare the Umu before church. But despite that love, Onesemo never considered cooking as a professional option so he joined the military, the Hawaii Air National Guard.
The story behind Auckland's new Samoan fine dining restaurant
Henry Onesemo is a chef that has walked anything but a regular path. He was born in American Samoa, because his Western Samoan parents wanted him "to get an American passport, go to the States and become a millionaire". Onesemo's love of food started young. Memories of early Sunday morning trips to the fish market and helping his Dad prepare the Umu before church.
Israel joins European standouts with highest rating in Mercer pension index - Top1000funds.com
For the third consecutive year the retirement income systems of The Netherlands, Iceland and Denmark were given the highest rating in the Mercer CFA Institute Global Pension index, with Israel also joining the top rank this year. The Netherlands had the highest overall index score for 2023 (85.0), followed by Iceland (83.5), Denmark (81.3) and Israel (80.8). The index has been measuring retirement systems since 2009 with new countries added each year.
Penn PSERS trims leverage, adds fixed income and hones in on fees
From this October $71.9 billion Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, PSERS, will reduce net leverage, add fixed income allocations, and continue to shave costs off its external investment management fees.
Navigating the opportunities, potential and risks of AI
If artificial intelligence (AI) hasn’t already touched the business you work in that’s only because it’s about to. Asset owners from around the world will gather at Stanford University next month to hear first-hand from two technology visionaries on the practical applications and ethical considerations of AI as a tool to improve decision making and efficiency.
Thames Water: A lesson in infrastructure valuations
Faced with Thames Water’s financial difficulties, and the potentially very negative consequences for investors with shares in the holding company controlling this business, many stakeholders seemed surprised by the size of the loss in value recognised at the end of 2022, while transactions carried out in recent years were based on high and even rising valuations.
Why the CFA is still relevant, 60 years on - Top1000funds.com
In the 60 years since the first CFA exam, the accreditation has been forced to evolve to meet the modernization of the profession. As the CFA celebrates this big milestone, chief executive Marg Franklin talks to Amanda White about the enhancements to the CFA program and how it can meet the future investment professional.
Temasek's approach to AI: Support portfolio companies create value
Generative AI offers compelling investment opportunities and will significantly impact productivity, changing and reshaping industries, as well as driving innovation. It will lead to an increase in investment activity as corporate boards urge management teams to invest in the technology, and has already helped push the S&P500 into a bull market, said Rohit Sipahimalani, CIO of Temasek.
Transparency improvements but more work needed on cost disclosure
Funds around the world improved their scores on responsible investment disclosure by more than on any of the three other factors assessed in the 2023 Global Pension Transparency Benchmark. The GPTB measures the transparency of disclosures of 15 pension systems across the value-generating measures of cost, governance, performance and responsible investment. Scores of all four factors improved this year compared to last year.
Canada, The Netherlands lead the way on pension transparency
Canada is a standout in the transparency of pension fund reporting, topping the list of countries for the third year in a row, with a score of 83, and eight points clear of the next best country score. In a benchmarking first, all five assessed Canadian funds feature in the top 10, with an average improvements in this year’s score of eight points, showcasing that improvements can be made even when funds are already demonstrating best practice.
GPTB 2023: The funds that excelled
The highest scoring funds overall in the 2023 Global Pension Transparency Benchmark were also among the biggest improvers. Both Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and AustralianSuper increased their scores by 14 points year on year and were the biggest improvers in the top 10. Other top 10 improvers of note included Canada’s CDPQ, CalPERS from the USA and the Dutch fund PFZW.
Norway SWF tops list of most transparent funds globally
Government Pension Fund Global, Norway’s giant sovereign wealth fund, has topped the list of the most transparent funds in the 2023 Global Pension Transparency Benchmark, beating last year’s winner CPP Investments by only one point. The results indicate a heightened focus on transparency and improved practices in the industry with a very tight race among the top funds.
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