London’s CIV talks pooling progress

The coronavirus is an unprecedented test for the UK’s eight Local Government Pension Scheme asset pools. The London Collective Investment Vehicle, the pooling manager for the pension assets of London’s 32 boroughs has lost 15 per cent of the value of its portfolio for the month, and CEO Mike O’Donnell says ensuring liquidity and diversification are priorities in the months ahead.

Long-term disclosure post COVID-19

In times of uncertainty and disruption the “long-term” is a place that’s often easy to talk about but harder to operationalise but forward-looking information is highly valued, particularly during this crisis. To understand a company’s value proposition requires a real sense of its ability to innovate and be a source of disruption (not its victim). That requires a rounded view of the forward story and an assessment of key ESG issues and mega-trends.

Wisconsin leans into opportunities

In the space of three months the State of Wisconsin Investment Board has moved its portfolio from “defensive” to “offensive” as it “leans into the opportunities” presented by the coronavirus crisis. CIO and executive director David Villa, and deputy, Rochelle Klaskin spoke to Amanda White about the portfolio and how the large internal team is managing remotely.

Where is the illiquidity premium?

Investors allocate to private equity with the expectation of achieving superior returns relative to public-market investments. This approach has generally paid off in corporate private equity with return premiums that have compensated investors for the risk of illiquidity. However, the same cannot be said for real estate private equity.