In an exclusive interview, Amanda White, editor of top1000funds.com, talks to the modern portfolio theorist about markets, portfolio rebalancing, Madoff and more.
Economic recovery will bring inflation back from the dead: Partners Group
Government efforts to defend economies from the global downturn – primarily official interest rate cuts and spending packages – could make inflation a significant threat to investors’ portfolios once the crisis has run its course, according to Urs Wietlisbach, executive vice chairman of Partners Group, a CHF24 billion (US$21 billion) alternatives manager.
Structured products: risk sharing or risk shifting?
In a research paper entitled “Tumbling Tower of Babel: Subprime Securitization and the Credit Crisis” in the latest Financial Analysts Journal, Bruce Jacobs argues that highly complex financial instruments, were devised to shift risk from one part of the financial system to another, but the underlying systematic risk remained. And when magnified by huge amounts of leverage, blew up the foundations of the financial system and the economy.
PGGM finds alpha via internal management of illiquids
PGGM Investments, the 17th largest institutional investor in the world, as ranked by the Watson Wyatt top 300, has introduced a number of new investment strategies and has plans to significantly increase its in-house investment management this year.
Unlisted infrastructure on pension fund radar
Global pension fund allocations to unlisted infrastructure have grown in recent years but Australian pension funds continue to lead the way when it comes to actual investments according to a report published by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which also called for more help from governments in enhancing the investment environment.
SWFs eye private real estate funds
New research reveals many sovereign wealth funds (SWFs) have entered the private fund arena and more are planning to invest through private equity funds in the future. According to analysis from the 2009 Preqin Sovereign Wealth Fund Review, which contains investment plans for all SWFs active in the real estate sector, 13 per cent invest only on an indirect basis, while 26 per cent invest only in direct real estate.
