Asset consultant Towers Watson has debuted on Nasdaq and the NYSE with two quiet days trading in a very tight band around US$49, following Watson Wyatt’s $3.5 billion merger with rival Towers Perrin.
Asset consultants Russell Investments and State Street Global Advisors (SSgA) are both bullish on the Australian economy and equities, in particular, with Russell tipping industrials and a return of 10 per cent this year.
In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, some investors are questioning the true diversification in their global equity portfolios and the appropriateness of standard benchmarks. GREG BRIGHT spoke with Adrian Banner, co-chief investment officer at INTECH Investment Management, about these and other issues.
The $200 billion California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) has hired Mercer Consulting review the investment office incentive compensation program, a design set up in 1997 under the guidance of the board’s compensation consultant Watson Wyatt.
Investment managers are more bullish about markets with US large cap growth the flavour of the moment, according to the latest Russell Investment Manager Outlook, which among other findings shows the percentage of surveyed managers rating the market as fairly valued at the highest level since March 2007.
The Wisconsin Investment Board is not tweaking its asset allocation or adding inflation-linked assets to its line-up in reaction to the market turmoil, rather, it’s continuing to focus on generating alpha from active management. Chief investment officer, David Villa, spoke with Amanda White about the fund’s disciplined approach to hiring and firing.