What a brief encounter with Elon Musk taught me about the limits of capitalism
In 2013, on the sidelines of the Milken Conference at the Beverly Hilton, my friend and then-colleague Sean Scallan and I found ourselves in a seven-minute private conversation with Elon Musk. He was not yet the figure he is today. Tesla was struggling. SpaceX had launched but not yet proven itself. The idea of humans
How CIOs are building portfolios for an unpredictable world
As opposing macroeconomic and geopolitical forces collide, chief investment officers at leading pension funds say that trying to predict the future is a “loser’s game”. The question today is no longer what comes next, but how to build a portfolio that holds together in any investment regime.
Assault on universities fracturing the ‘social compact’ behind US growth
The breakdown of a decades-old bargain between the US government and its research universities threatens the engine that has driven American productivity and economic growth since the end of World War II, the Top1000funds.com Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Harvard heard.
UK fixed income investor PIC ponders the long term risk of government debt
Rob Groves, CIO of the UK’s Pension Insurance Corporation, describes a cautious, heavily regulated strategy focused on fixed income. PIC is on the look out for undervalued corporate credit opportunities appearing in the current market, but few opportunities have appeared yet.
Why Australia’s super funds continue to engage with Washington
Australia’s fast-growing superannuation funds are increasingly allocating capital into US infrastructure, but success will rely on navigating an unpredictable federal policy environment and a patchwork of skeptical state governments.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Massachusetts PRIM | United States | $116 | 16 | View Info |
Maryland State Retirement | United States | $74 | 21 | View Info |
British Coal Pension Schemes | United Kingdom | $11 | 14 | View Info |
School Employees Retirement System of Ohio (OHSERS) | United States | $21 | 12 | View Info |
Velliv reset: More Danish funds lean into low cost DC model
In Denmark’s fiercely competitive commercial pension industry, Velliv was quick to take action with a root-and-branch overhaul of its pension provision when it experienced a drop in returns in the first half of 2024. It sacked its active equity managers, scaling up internal active strategies and low-cost, index-based investments instead, and stopped allocating to its $4.3 billion alternatives allocation. Thor Schultz Christensen, deputy chief investment officer at Velliv, unpacks the change.
Reports of America’s decline greatly exaggerated: Kotkin
Reports of America’s decline as a geopolitical and economic power are exaggerated, and the noise investors should learn to ignore is really only the presidency itself, celebrated historian Stephen Kotkin told the Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Harvard.
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.
Oil crisis: Curb or catalyst to the green transition?
The blockage of the Strait of Hormuz has left the world facing another energy crisis and warning bells of a global recession are growing increasingly shrill. Ostensibly, the crisis could also push the energy transition back as governments and companies scramble to shoulder the cost of $100 per barrel of oil and prepare for higher
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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Long term lens shields Colorado from private credit jitters
As concerns in private credit mount, Colorado PERA CIO and COO Amy McGarrity says the pension fund isn’t seeing any strains in its growing allocation to the asset class, arguing that long-term investors are shielded from the risks because they can lock up their capital to weather market cycles.
Nest favours institutional-first managers as retail exodus pressures private credit
Nest, the largest workplace pension in the UK, says that private credit managers who prioritise institutional clients will be more favourably viewed. The £61 billion ($82 billion) fund has awarded a £450 million ($605 million) US direct lending mandate to Crescent Capital this month, citing the manager’s institutional-client-first approach as a key attraction.
Opinion