COVID-19 sees advisers reduce face-time Both advisers and their clients are opting for telephone and screen-based consultations amid growing fears around transmission of the coronavirus. For more.

Amid COVID-19 FASEA urged to deliver CPD relief A senior adviser has written to the Financial Adviser Standards and Ethics Authority urging it to deliver CPD relief amid a myriad of cancelled seminars and conferences. For more.

CBA facing $5m penalty as ASIC initiates RC action The Commonwealth Bank is facing more court action – this time the possibility of a $5 million penalty resulting from a Royal Commission referral relating to its so-called AgriAdvance Plus Package For more.

Managed accounts finished 2019 strong Managed accounts, and particularly separately managed accounts, grew strongly in the second half of last year, according to the latest IMAP/Milliman managed accounts census. For more.

Blockchain needed for advice fees: IRESS Adviser fees need to be standardised and automated and this could be done via blockchain, IRESS believes. For more.

ASX and Chi-X support ASIC reduction order Both market operators have come out in support of the regulator’s directive to reduce trading volume by 25% until further notice. For more.

Govt should consider retirement investment bonds The Government should consider retirement investment bonds as many retirees’ investments are being hit by COVID-19, plunging sharemarkets, and the falling Australian dollar, according to the Association of Independent Retirees. For more.

T. Rowe Price positions for further rate cuts T. Rowe Price has moved overweight Australian bonds in its global asset allocation ahead of an additional rate cut by the Reserve Bank of Australia. For more.

Prolonged volatility in equity markets expected Western governments are less likely to be able to contain COVID-19 compared to China which will lead to longer volatility in equity markets, according to Antipodes. For more.

Expect unemployment spike warns UBS Unemployment could reach as high as 8% in Australia should the COVID-19 pandemic cause a recession, according to UBS. For more.

The national opportunity that is financial planning The financial planning profession is on the cusp of a major growth trajectory as planners and professional associations unite to secure its future, writes Dante De Gori. For more.

Design and Distribution Obligations – Putting the Consumer First The implementation of design and distribution obligations to the Australian financial services industry will bring with it a range of new challenges but, as Mikkel Bates reports, there is much which can be learned from experience in other jurisdictions. For more.

Harnessing currency returns in emerging markets The close economic links between Australia and Asia can be a negative for emerging market investors with Aussie dollars, according to Adam Kibble. For more.

Strong score for equity funds It was good news for the mixed asset growth, global and small and mid cap funds in this edition of the FE fundinfo Crown Ratings, all reporting double-digit funds which received five Crowns. For more.