We were delighted to welcome Professor Carole Comerton-Forde for a special luncheon series in Sydney and Melbourne, where she presented findings from her report commissioned by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC): Evaluating the State of the Australian Public Equity Market: Evidence from Data and Academic Literature.
Co-hosted with MLC Asset Management in Sydney and BlackRock in Melbourne, the events brought together institutional investors to explore the future of Australia’s public markets.
Professor Comerton-Forde provided a detailed analysis of listing activity in Australia over the past 25 years, offering comparisons with trends in global markets. Drawing on academic literature, she shared insights into the decline of public markets abroad and examined whether similar forces are at play in Australia.
Importantly, she highlighted Australia’s unique structural characteristics, including the influence of its substantial superannuation system, and considered how this shapes the dynamics of local equity markets.
