Affluent small European nations such as Denmark easily count among the world’s most outward-looking places, and DKK 95-billion ($16.4-billion) investor Unipension clearly casts its eyes far and wide from its headquarters in suburban Copenhagen. While nearly all investors look for some exposure in the world’s key markets, Unipension has enhanced its international focus by actively … Read more
A policy portfolio is a poor reflection of investor preferences, argued Peter Bernstein. This philosophical question has now been empirically tested by MIT’s Mark Kritzman, who shows the inter-temporal disparity of a policy portfolio’s risk profile. He suggests a simple framework for addressing this deficiency. Kritzman encourages investors to replace rigid policy portfolios with flexible investment policies. … Read more
From a strategic asset allocation point of view, AustralianSuper is one of the most aggressive investors in emerging markets, particularly Asia. About a quarter of the $43-billion fund is in international equities, and nearly half of that is in emerging markets. Equities is the vehicle for AustralianSuper’s emerging market exposure because growth remains the reason … Read more
The changing nature and openness of emerging market financial systems mean that constant assessment of the environment is necessary. MSCI is currently considering whether to increase the allocation of China’s weight in the emerging market index to include the nation’s A shares. (Concurrently MSCI Korea and MSCI Taiwan Indices remain under review for a potential … Read more
Hershel Harper received an early education in finance when he used to read Business Week in High School. The 43-year old now at the helm of the $27-billion South Carolina Retirement Systems, investing on behalf of South Carolina’s 350,000 public sector workers, says he knew back then he wanted to manage money: “I really am … Read more
While commodities are a controversial and problematic asset class to some investors, for others they are an ideal diversifier looking more attractive than ever. A mini-revival in commodity investing among US pension funds suggests the asset class may be enjoying a resurgence. The Los Angeles Fire and Police Pension System, Municipal Retirement System of Michigan … Read more
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