The Latest
News

Real estate sector continues to lead on sustainability: GRESB

This year’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) reveals that sustainability reporting has improved in coverage and quality of data, with the average overall score increasing due to increasing implementation and measurement. The average score is now 47 (out of 100) which is up nine points this year. The benchmark collects data from 637 listed […]
Amanda WhiteSeptember 5, 2014
Analysis

The power of benchmarking: GRESB comes of age

Now in its fifth year GRESB, the benchmark that measures the sustainability performance of real estate portfolios, has been influential in changing the sector’s performance and environmental impact. Now Nils Kok, executive director of GRESB and associate professor in finance at Maastricht University, says that infrastructure and private equity assets are ripe for a benchmark […]
Amanda WhiteApril 23, 2014
Research

How active is your real estate fund manager?

Using detailed data from IPD, this paper looks at the holdings and performance of 256 UK commercial real estate funds from 2002-2011. It concludes the more active funds, those further from benchmark holdings, outperform but are not accompanied by higher risk.   To access the paper click here How active is your real estate fund […]
Ghost Top1000February 28, 2014
Analysis

Data doesn’t lie: illiquidity premium doesn’t exist

There is no 3 per cent illiquidity premium in private equity, according to research by CEM Benchmarking. A cost drag on private assets cancels out the returns of investing in private equity and real estate for those investors that outsource to external providers, the research finds. CEM Benchmarking, which has a database of 354 pension […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 22, 2014
In Conversation

Lepelmeier: interest rates ruin German strategy

German institutional investors face an urgent need to reconsider their bond-heavy investment strategies, argues Dirk Lepelmeier, a former investment head at one of the country’s largest pension funds. Herr Prof Dr Dirk Lepelmeier, to use his appropriate German titles, would rather be addressed as Dirk. That might be of no surprise to many, but it […]
Dan BillinghamNovember 1, 2013
Investor Profile

Pulling lots of small levers in Tennessee

Michael Brakebill had never visited Nashville, Tennessee before he interviewed for the role of chief investment officer at the $36.6-billion Tennessee Consolidated Retirement System (TCRS) back in 2008. Landing the job at the defined benefit scheme for Tennessee’s public sector workers, he left his position as head of domestic equity at Texas’ Teachers Retirement System […]
Sarah RundellOctober 2, 2013
Investor Profile

Europe, alternatives pay for Danish Sampension

The herd mentality of investors has been agonised over for as long as markets have been around. The dilemma is often raised of whether to participate in or shun market trends, but the DKK150-billion ($27-billion) Sampension has succeeded recently with a selective approach. It has fully embraced the institutional diversification movement by building a significant […]
Dan BillinghamSeptember 25, 2013
In Conversation

OTPP deals with underfunding

Even the most successful and well run pension plans are facing underfunding challenges. The $129-billion Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is the latest to investigate solutions to solve the mismatch between the pension promise and the funds required to meet that, says Jim Leech, chief executive of the organisation . OTPP has appointed a taskforce – chaired […]
Amanda WhiteJune 7, 2013
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