Why sustainability pays for US timberland manager RMS
Alabama-based timber manager RMS has developed its own index to measure biodiversity in its forests. The move is in response to a jump in the number of asset owners asking biodiversity questions.
Aware Super maps AI exposure as it sharpens whole-of-portfolio risk focus
Australia’s third-largest pension fund Aware Super is taking stock of its investment exposure to AI and the initial analysis suggests at least 15 per cent of the fund’s assets are exposed to the thematic. In a project deep dive, head of investment strategy Michael Winchester says finding the portfolio’s true concentration around AI will require looking beyond simple dollar aggregation.
Japan University Fund doubles alternatives book as direct fund investing ramps up
The $75 billion Japan University Fund is furthering its push to direct fund selection in alternatives alongside the fund-of-funds approach it has favoured so far. Naoya Sugimoto, co-CIO and head of global investment, says it’s a “natural direction” in the fund’s journey as the young endowment looks to take more control of the manager selection process.
The Austin advantage: Texas Teachers talks optimism, innovation and growth
Jase Auby, TRS’s celebrated CIO, explains why TPA doesn’t fit with its culture; why community push back on data centres could turn out to be an investor advantage, and argues the case for continuing to invest in fossil fuels. Top1000funds.com sat down with the CIO in his Austin office for an all-encompassing conversation.
How private credit investors are preparing for software’s AI reckoning
As the private credit industry matures, the first real stress tests are emerging – from AI-exposed software loans to eroding covenants in megadeals. Institutional investors are responding by rethinking where the illiquidity premium justifies the risk.
The Asset Owner Directory is an interactive tool to give readers an insight into the world of global asset owners. It includes key information for the largest asset owners around the world such as key personnel, asset allocation and performance.
| Fund Name | Country | AUM ($B) | Articles | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Aware Super | Australia | $129 | 9 | View Info |
Canada Pension Plan Investments (CPPIB) | Canada | $572 | 100 | View Info |
California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) | United States | $563 | 314 | View Info |
Norges Bank Investment Management | Norway | $2,218 | 93 | View Info |
NZ Super cuts benchmark return expectation on US valuation concerns
A view that the US stock market is overvalued and equity risk premia will be lower over the long term has driven New Zealand Super to lower the return expectations for its reference portfolio following its recent five-yearly review of the benchmark. Co-chief investment officer Brad Dunstan also flags underweight commodity exposure as an area to address and explains why the fund remains sceptical of illiquidity premia despite seeing a growing case for private markets.
Impact investing’s case for scale
Impact investing has come a long way in the past two decades, going from a niche strategy to a $1.5 trillion industry, but there are still challenges for it to reach institutional scale due to the lack of products and insufficient evidence of outperformance in some parts of the market.
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
The Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Stanford University celebrates the fast-moving change taking place in economies and communities and will examine the impact of innovation on our lives, workplaces and investments.
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
This event looks at the challenges long-term investors face in an environment of disruption including ongoing geopolitical risk and shifts in global economy dynamics. By accessing faculty of England’s most esteemed university, this event will leave investors empowered to tackle disruption in their portfolios and working lives.
La Caisse’s oil exit pays off as renewables portfolio pulls ahead of fossil fuels
Divesting from the oil sector has been a boon for La Caisse’s performance, as the Canadian pension giant says its energy investments have earned billions in value-add compared to the benchmark since the inception of its climate strategy. Head of sustainability Bertrand Millot unpacks the fund’s approach in an interview with Top1000funds.com.
Why Asian equities’ growth will outlast the AI-driven semiconductor cycle
In the latest episode of the Fiduciary Investors Series, Liao spoke with Top1000funds.com Asia Pacific correspondent Darcy Song on why the convergence of innovation, demographics and improving shareholder returns makes Asian equities an increasingly compelling diversification trade for asset owners navigating a geopolitically fractured world.
CPP Investments, NBIM reflect on lessons from a 5-year transparency journey
The Global Pension Transparency Benchmark has been a driving force in improved transparency of disclosures and reporting among global asset owners. As the project comes to its close after five years, two leading funds reflect on why transparency has been a clear focus for their organisations.
Falling dollar dents Canadian pension returns; triggers hedging rethink
A weakening US dollar has eaten into the returns of Canada’s largest pension funds as annual reports revealed the currency shock forced a fundamental rethink from some investors around hedging practices. OMERS has pivoted from a policy hedging target to a more flexible approach fulfilling multiple objectives, while OTPP more than halved its US dollar exposure in 2025.
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Ohio STRS warns of higher US recession risk; prioritises liquidity
The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio has warned of a “material” increase in US recession risk compared to last year as the fund braces for a wider, “negatively skewed” distribution of outcomes in the next 12 months. It came as the mature plan, which is 81 per cent funded, is tilting to fixed income and new asset classes like liquid alternatives over equities.
Why UniSuper CIO thinks the data centre party is over
The demand for AI driving data centre construction might be “insatiable”, but the chief investment officer of the $115 billion UniSuper thinks that investors could be taking on technology debt and misreading the regulatory tea leaves as they rush to buy digital infrastructure.
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