The $72 billion Ohio Public Employees Retirement System is looking for an investment consultant to advise on its $10 billion alternatives program, and is considering whether to hire separate consultants for each asset class or one consultant to advise on the entire program. (more…)

As investors faced a “multi-speed world” in which uncertainty about the US and European economies contrasted with emerging markets’ rapid growth, they should not be misled by short-term signals from the markets, said Mohamed El-Erian, CEO and co-CIO at PIMCO. (more…)

Style is not really the forté of the Swiss so it may come as no surprise that the London arm of Swiss investment bank UBS got itself into a pickle after it published a 44-page dress code for employees late last year. (more…)

This article by Dubravko Mihaljek and Frank Packer from the Bank for International Settlements,  reviews the derivatives market in emerging market economies, attempting to answer some basic questions such as how big the market is, who trades, which derivatives are most traded and how it differs from mature markets. (more…)

Investors wishing to meet return goals could put as much hope in prayer as in their portfolio structure, according to Wurts & Associates which was forecasting a continuing “tough” economic environment. (more…)

The UK Crown Estate, which as the name suggests manages the assets and estate of the Crown, has entered into the second joint venture with an institutional investor in as many months. Norges Bank, which manages the 2,908 billion kroner ($498 billion) Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global, has purchased a 150-year lease on a 25 per cent stake in the Estate’s Regent Street properties. This follows a deal in December with the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan.
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