Investing over inter-generational time horizons is both a daunting responsibility as well as a liberating reality for institutional investors. On the positive side, pensions, endowments and foundations can invest for the long-term freed from the conventions of quarterly reporting and the market’s obsession with short-term performance. In this context a ‘Top 5 Investment Themes’ list [...]

Some interesting new stories last week covering important themes: new and emerging managers, customized solutions, asset gathering vs management and the impact of social media on investment strategy.

1. Imogen Rose-Smith (Institutional Investor): Imogen takes a look at several promising new (and ‘newish’) hedge fund managers: Aziz Nahas (Lombard Odier Investment Management), Craig [...]

Perhaps it is not surprising that in a news-week dominated by events in Japan and Libya, there appeared to be a hiatus in interesting investment news. The wires and financial television news services ran exhausting, moment-by-moment coverage of speculative news and trade ideas associated with these events – mostly Japan. Nonetheless, the debate around pension [...]

According to a recent report from Preqin, the 6 most popular HFs/ Fund of Funds among public pension plans are:
 

1. Bridgewater Pure Alpha
2. K2 Advisors
3. Grosvenor
4. PAAMCO
5. GAM
6. BlackRock Proprietary Alpha Strategies

Preqin also noted that HF allocations by pensions [...]

1. Humanizing the business
2. People & Philosophy
3. Branding
4. Product
5. Strategy & Decision Making
6. Clients
7. MARKETING & PR
8. Investment process
9. Regulation & compliance 

The marketing/ sales aim of any asset management firm should be to grow the firm’s assets and [...]

1. Humanizing the business
2. People & Philosophy
3. Branding
4. Product
5. Strategy & Decision Making
6. CLIENTS
7. Marketing & PR
8. Investment process
9. Regulation & compliance

There is a fundamental difference in the way European and North American asset managers categorize their investors. [...]

1. Humanizing the business
2. People & Philosophy
3. Branding
4. Product
5. STRATEGY & DECISION MAKING
6. Clients
7. Marketing & PR
8. Investment process
9. Regulation & Compliance – Several large European firms kicked-off their attempts to crack the American market by parachuting European executives [...]

1. Humanizing the business
2. People & Philosophy
3. Branding
4. PRODUCT
5. Strategy & decision making
6. Clients
7. Marketing & PR
8. Investment process
9. Regulation & Compliance

Many large European asset management businesses that have found success in replicating their business models in the [...]

1. Economist – the Price of Fear: A thoughtful analysis of the linkages connecting turmoil in the Arab world to the health of the global economy including: chemistry, supply and demand dynamics, supply chains, the oil intensity of economies, and regional differences in inflation, expectations and monetary policy.

http://econ.st/gHeQP6

2. Maureen Nevin Duffy (Institutional Investor): [...]