The dangers of MMT: A counter argument

Look no further than the economic travails of Italy and Japan to see the perils of Modern Monetary Theory, MMT, said Sonal Desai, CIO, fixed income at Franklin Templeton. Speaking at the Fiduciary Investors’ Symposium at Harvard University, she countered the arguments of Stephanie Kelton, a leading MMT scholar at Stony Brook University and senior economic advisor to presidential candidate, Senator Bernie Sanders who espoused the virtues of MMT in a previous session MMT: A solution to broken policy?

Global critique calls for Aussie reform

A global working group of pension experts critiqued the Australian system at the recent ICPM meeting in Sydney. They emphasised a desperate need for the system to move from accumulation to retirement income, reduce complexity, focus on retirees (not 40-year olds) and be holistic. After all, they said, the purpose of a pension system is about paying pensions not investment.

Still life in PE energy: Cambridge Assoc

Is private equity investment in the energy sector dead? Not according to Cambridge Associates. But the consultant argues that the game has changed and to be successful, investors should adopt a new commitment strategy; and while the industry faces secular challenges, managers can innovate to exploit disruption and generate attractive absolute returns.

Washington State’s secret sauce

A big contributor to the long-term top decile performance of the Washington State Investment Board has been its high allocation to private markets. But it is not just the high allocation that sets the fund apart from its peers, it’s also the nature of the relationships with its GPs. Amanda White speaks to retiring CIO Gary Bruebaker about the fund’s secret sauce.

Foundation puts diversity first

Bert Feuss, senior vice president, investments at the $13.5 billion Silicon Valley Community Foundation, SVCF, explains why diversity is so important, the steps the impact investor has taken to address the institutionalised lack of diversity, and the impact on performance.

Denmark’s Sampension favours CLOs

Sampension, the DKK325.6 billion labour-market Danish pension fund has found a rich seam investing in AAA-rated CLOs where it earns a pick-up from traditional fixed income in loans with low default rates. The head of credit Anders Tauber Lassen says the fund feels “quite comfortable taking this type of risk”.