Ben Meng isn’t easing into his role. The new CIO of CalPERS faces three new board members, a stressed private equity program and executive turnover, all under the pressure of a 70 per cent funded status and a maturing membership at the $340 billion fund.
Organisations across the globe are collecting data, analysing and re-analysing it more and more every day. As this trend continues, data infrastructure – tangible or intangible – becomes increasingly attractive. Canada’s OPTrust cites this reality as the rationale behind the EdgeCore partnership. It thinks data is its own asset class.
Australia’s Productivity Commission performed a review of its world-class superannuation system, with an eye toward making the best even better. But the inquiry wasted its opportunity by making recommendations that its three years of research don’t support.
Global markets are more interconnected than ever. That provides many benefits but it also has its drawbacks. Chief among those is the potential for investors to move in lockstep when driven by fear or euphoria, creating feedback loops that can result in crashes.
The Transition Pathway Initiative has grown quickly as a tool for asset owners and fund managers looking to plot their way toward a low-carbon economy – but there is more on its agenda. Scrutiny of more investors, expanded research and transparency in emerging markets are all on its to-do list.
The UK’s £45 billion Northern LGPS pool has eschewed creating a separate FCA-regulated entity, seeing it as an unnecessary expense. Moves in infrastructure and private equity have also reflected the asset pool’s laser-like focus on keeping costs down.
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