USS powers into diversity

In the past few years the £34-billion ($54.7 billion) Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) has substantially diversified its asset allocation, including a large alternatives allocation, and extended its investment team from 65 to 105. In the latest chapter of the fund’s investment department reincarnation, from October this year a separate but fully owned USS company, USS … Read more

300 Club roots for stewardship over salesmanship

The 300 Club is a rare group that combines long-term thinking and asset management provision. Taking on an industry that is evolving from client-driven to product-driven, the 300 Club is proposing a fundamental mindset shift from short-term salesmanship to long-term stewardship. In this paper, chief investment officer of Kempen Capital Management in the Netherlands, Lars … Read more

Short-term consequences of long-term risk

Estimates of the equity risk premium suggest higher levels of uncertainty in equities markets, despite the fact daily VIX risk levels have declined. Risk managers need to confront the tension between short-term risk levels and long-term macroeconomic uncertainties. This MSCI research prescribes the need for risk managers and investors to make fuller use of a … Read more

Investing hybrid or armed wing of ministry?

France’s Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) has just provided fresh ammunition for critics who say the state-backed investor distorts markets by acting as the “armed wing” of the French finance ministry. On October 17, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault unveiled a new public investment bank, jointly owned by the CDC and the government, to lend … Read more

Push the reset button on pension funds

The global economy is on life support and the best that can be expected for the next five to 10 years is to get out of the intensive care unit but not off the critical list. Slow growth, low interest rates, serious unemployment levels, marginalised activity in the growing informal sector, sovereignty as a defensive … Read more