From ai5000 Magazine: Cautiously Ahead?
In the wake of 2008, asset owners are hesitantly returning to the securities- lending world. The landscape, however, has changed dramatically since they left.
News
Venture Capital Firms in a Pickle
Cambridge Associates issued a report showing VC 10-year returns -- considered the most
important measurement of the industry -- were negative 3.7% for
the period ending March 31.
Financial Regs: A Top Concern for Institutional Investors
Preliminary
results of a survey by Capital Market Risk Advisors show US respondents
ranked “government changing the rules” as their chief concern for the
year ahead.
New York Pension's DiNapoli Counters Accusations of Abuse
Republican Harry J. Wilson, who's campaigning for state comptroller,
called incumbent Democrat Thomas J. DiNapoli’s management of the state
pension fund “the largest Ponzi scheme in New York State history.”
From ai5000 Magazine: Reigniting Interest
Among institutional investors, ETFs have regained a strong foothold.
Pension Schemes Face Difficulties Managing Longevity Risk
MetLife Assurance's survey showed pension fund trustees and
sponsors are struggling to effectively manage longevity risk, which
ranked second only to the measurement of technical provisions and
liabilities in importance for respondents.
From ai5000 Magazine: Playing the Right Game
The active versus passive investment debate has raged within academic circles for decades without resolution. Unfortunately for the world’s asset owners, this has left them wondering what game—Chase alpha? Ride beta?—they should be playing.
Survey Reveals UK Asset Managers Raise Concerns Over Investor Activism
UK asset managers indicate
growing concern about the UK as a place to do business and call for
regulators to respond to the financial crisis.
From ai5000 Magazine: Risk Parity, or Just Risky?
The consensus: The rise of derivatives and, more recently, extreme equity volatility have driven many asset owners into the arms of risk parity vendors. The debate: Is this a good thing?
OECD Urges Countercyclical Funding Regs to Thwart DB Closures
The organization is putting pressure on governments and policymakers
to try to avoid relying on current market values when determining
contributions and to allow "appropriate levels of over-funding in good
economic times," among other recommendations.
From ai5000 Magazine: A Profile of No One
Europeans (effete liberals!) love it. Public pensions and foundations (goody-two-shoes!) like it. Yet, to American corporate defined benefit plans, socially responsible investing—bearded hippies!—has been anathema to their very existence. Will this ever change?
Commodity Rebound May Lead to Record Year for China's SWF
After a 2.1% loss on its global assets in 2008, the China investment Corp. will likely post its best yearly gain in 2009, boosted by rebounding markets and investment in commodity-related companies.
From ai5000 Magazine: Antoine De Salins, CEO, FFR
De Salins, CEO of France's €35 billion Fonds de Réserve pour les Retraites (FRR), spoke with ai5000 in his Paris office about liquidity issues, asset allocation, and, above all, the nuances of responsible investing.
Obama Signs Reform, DB Plans Expected to Get Relief
President Obama's signature on the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill
gives the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Securities
& Exchange Commission (SEC) oversight of the roughly $600 trillion
OTC derivatives market while forcing most swaps to be cleared on a
regulated exchange.
From ai5000 Magazine: Carol McFate, CIO Xerox
McFate, after spending two decades in the insurance industry, became the chief investment officer for Xerox in late 2006. In early May, she sat with ai5000 to discuss the intertwined topics of market uncertainty and risk management.