Andrew McKean

Billings

Hunting and Conservation Editor at Outdoor Life

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Father, husband, hunter, enthusiast, prairie dweller, outdoor writer

Articles

Private credit market has lenders sweating

2 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Stamford Capital's Debt Capital Markets survey has revealed that lenders are uneasy about the size and practices of Australia's private credit market. The survey gauged the sentiment of 100 major banks, non-banks, and second-tier banks. Stamford Capital said over the last few years, commercial borrowers have grown increasingly comfortable with private credit. Growing demand for fast and flexible finance has fuelled an explosion of private and non-bank lenders in the commercial real estate space.
Netwealth chair to retire, successor appointed

2 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Netwealth chair Tim Antonie, who's served as chair of the wealth management platform since February 2021, will retire from the board at the end of August. Antonie's successor is a former Future Fund board member who was appointed as an independent non-executive director at Netwealth on Tuesday. Michael Wachtel, who spent nine years at the sovereign wealth fund, will take the reins.
Top companies, chief executives ranked by fund managers

3 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Excel, formerly Institutional Investor Research, has unveiled its inaugural executive survey, spotlighting Australia and New Zealand's top-ranked companies and chief executives. The survey gathered feedback from over 250 investors, fund managers, and analysts from 139 firms.
SS&C lands mandate from local boutique fund services provider

3 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

SS&C Technologies has been awarded a mandate by a boutique fund services provider to investment managers in Australia to support its fund services operations. Fundhost, which has $2 billion in assets under management, provides responsible entity, trustee, fund administration, registry, compliance via a strategic relationship with HSBC, operations and support services to boutique Australian and international fund managers.
HESTA turns the lights back on after service shutdown

3 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

HESTA has completed the transition of its member administration services to GROW Inc, restoring online services after a seven-week disruption to transactions and app access. HESTA, which has over one million members, said this marked the end of one of the largest and most comprehensive technology projects undertaken by an industry super fund. During the limited services period, more than a decade's worth of data was transferred to Grow Inc.
Australia's billionaire boom branded 'morally wrong' by Oxfam

4 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

The ranks of Australian billionaires have more than doubled over the past decade, accumulating wealth at $137 million per day on average - $95,000 per minute, according to Oxfam Australia. Its acting chief executive Christina Muli described this as "morally wrong."The number of Australian billionaires has risen from 74 in 2015 to 161 in 2025, according to the anti-poverty organisation's analysis of the Australian Financial Review Rich List.
Global stock markets rally, but Trump's next post could flip the script

4 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Global stock markets roared back in May, staging a spectacular turnaround from the extreme volatility and negative returns that rattled most developed equity markets in April. But uncertainty still looms large. UniSuper head of fixed interest David Colosimo says that just one Truth Social post from US President Donald Trump could trigger market volatility. Colosimo noted that US shares climbed 6% in May, their strongest month in over a year, after skidding nearly 19% from February highs in April.
Soul Patts merges to create new $14bn company

5 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Washington H. Soul Pattinson (Soul Patts) and diversified industrial group Brickworks have signed a binding merger agreement to create a new $14 billion ASX-listed company, TopCo.Under the proposed merger, TopCo will acquire all shares in Soul Patts and Brickworks. Soul Patts shareholders will receive one TopCo share for every Soul Patts share they hold as of the record date, maintaining their full ownership stake in the newly formed entity.
AMP launches superannuation feature to boost retirement income

5 days ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

AMP has launched AMP Super Lifetime; a superannuation feature it claims could lift members' retirement incomes by over $100,000 in the first decade post-work. AMP Super Lifetime runs automatically in the background of a member's super account, creating a 'concessional' balance that grows at the government-set deeming rate of 2.25%, instead of the actual return of the super fund.
Allan Gray exposes 'hateful eight' bubble threat

1 week ago | financialstandard.com.au | Andrew McKean

Allan Gray chief investment officer Simon Mawhinney has sounded the alarm that the Australian stock market is dangerously concentrated, with the 'Hateful Eight' companies - the big four banks, Macquarie, Wesfarmers, Goodman Group, and Aristocrat - racking up 85% of last year's returns despite representing just 28% of total market capitalisation.