News

The ai5000 Top Five Institutional Investment Stories of 2009

The Revelation of the Full Extent of American Endowment Problems   Entering 2009, the world knew that trouble was afoot at America’s largest endowments. Reports were emerging from Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Harvard, and others as early as September 2008 that

Alaskan Mercer Suit Headed to Trial

(December 23, 2009) – Pension fund consultancy Mercer is headed to trial in Alaska over charges that it underestimated liabilities and then failed to admit theerror to the state’s pension and health plans for public employees.   Mercer’s motion to

Survey: American Pensions Shun Risk

(December 23, 2009) – A recent Hewitt survey shows that American pension plans increasingly are looking to step away from risk in many, if not all, of its forms.   According to the consultancy’s Global Pension Risk Survey of 153

Private Equity Titan Terminates Fund

(December 23, 2009) – Europe’s Candover has agreed to close its nearly $5 billion buyout fund, a fall from grace for this once mighty private equity house.   The firm confirmed late last week that its five year investment window

PIMCO’s Gross Reduces Government Debt Holdings, Moves to Cash

(December 23, 2009) – Bill Gross’s Pacific investment Management Co. (PIMCO), a weathervane for many institutional investors, reportedly has raised its cash holdings to the highest levels since September 2008. According to a report from Bloomberg, PIMCO’s Total Return Fund

Dubai, Again, Gets Bailout from Abu Dhabi

 

Not for the first time in 2009, Abu Dhabi—the federal seat of government for the United Arab Emirates—has been forced to step in and provide an injection of funds for a debt-ridden Dubai.

Dubai World, under Duress, Plans To Sell Assets

 

Dubai World plans to sell assets for cash, but the government continues to maintain that it has no financial responsibility for the sovereign wealth arm that it created to fund the city’s growth.

Investigations Deepen at CalPERS

 

The SEC has asked the nation’s largest public pension fund whether two former officials had any contact with an alternative investment manager convicted of paying officials for access to funds.