Relief for Californian state fund investment chiefs, their bosses and their members – with CalSTRS and CalPERS both returning 20+ per cent for the financial year – has been usurped by a reminder to politicians that the funds cannot invest their way to good health and a responsible funding strategy is required.
Whether it involves skill, good judgment or just plain luck, choosing the right manager is never an exact science but recently published research reveals institutional investors can make better decisions by avoiding conventional wisdom around past performance.
There is nothing like a bit of red-hot competition to get the blood pumping – 37 Principle for Responsible Investment (PRI) signatories are running for only six positions on the newly-structured PRI Advisory Council. Let’s hope this has the effect of actually transforming institutional investment portfolios, not just getting these responsible types a little spirited.
Domestic emerging managers are the latest focus in the private equity portfolio of the $239 billion CalPERS, with the fund searching for a new investment vehicle, most likely a customised fund-of-funds, to invest in partnerships that may be under-capitalised.
Managers are continuing to refine their strategies for target date funds, with more than a third of managers incorporating a tactical overlay into their asset allocation, a recent survey has revealed.
Corporate disasters such as the BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill and the Fukushima nuclear disaster will be more prevalent and pose a greater risk to investors unless they act to comprehensively change the way they invest, a sustainability expert has warned.
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