Fixed Income: Time to Re-evaluate Credit Exposures, Consider CLOs?
The 2022-2024 period has provided new tests for investors’ fixed income and alternative credit portfolios, thanks to the...
Manager Intelligence and Market Trends - August 2024
bfinance’s quarterly report in August 2024: read the team’s latest insights on institutional investor activity, risk appetite,...
Hedge Funds and Tail Protection: Sector in Brief
A growing roster of hedge funds now offer tail protection—positive performance in down markets—but with an all-weather profile...
Real Estate Dislocation Presents Opportunities, Risks
The property market correction of 2023-24 marks the fourth significant dislocation in this asset class since 1970. Each prior...
Equity Market Neutral: Sector in Brief
Equity Market Neutral (EMN), valued at around US$50 billion, is a niche and distinct fragment of the broader Equity Long/Short...
Investment Management Fees: Fairness Revisited
Amid macroeconomic shifts and changes in the investment industry, fees and alignment of interest require fresh attention. This...
GP Stakes Funds Seek US$30bn With Promise of Private Equity Plus Yield
GP Staking – a Private Equity strategy characterised by investments in alternative asset managers and an unusual...
Manager Intelligence and Market Trends - May 2024
bfinance’s quarterly report in May 2024: read the team’s latest insights on institutional investor activity, risk appetite,...
Top Investor Surveys Part Ways on Asset Allocation Expectations
Credible asset owner surveys can be a useful source of insight for both investors and the asset managers/advisers that serve...
Passive ESG Investing Needs Careful Attention Amid 'Backlash'
From the pages of the Financial Times and Reuters to the hallways of investment conferences, noise of an ‘ESG Backlash’ has...
Investor Spotlight: MPS Foundation Seeks Stable Income While Delivering Social Objectives
An inflationary climate has created new challenges for foundations around the globe: with underlying projects seeking larger...
Asset Manager Selectors: Three Themes to Watch in 2024
The 2023-4 period has brought new challenges for institutional investors, affecting both strategy and investment manager...
Money for Nothing? Hedge Funds Haven’t Budged on Hurdle Rates (Yet)
Although two years have now passed since the Federal Reserve started rapidly hiking interest rates, the likelihood that your...
Carbon Trading Strategies: Sector in Brief
This report provides a concise introduction to the investment characteristics of carbon compliance credits and the growing use...
Investment Grade Corporate Bonds: Understanding Manager Performance
Investor appetite for investment grade fixed income grew significantly last year but active managers are coming under scrutiny....
As Operational Risks Evolve, Investors Must Scrutinise Service Providers
Pension regulators around the globe are sending clear messages that investors must strengthen their operational frameworks and...
Revisiting the Case for Listed Real Assets
Four years ago, Listed Real Assets (LRA) boasted some of the strongest long-term risk-adjusted returns of any asset class....
Climate and Biodiversity in Equity Investing
The climate imperative is driving new practices across all asset classes. Equity portfolios are typically on the strategic front...
Investor Spotlight: New London CIV CIO Champions Client-centred Thinking
Last month brought the announcement of a new Chief Investment Officer for London CIV – one of the eight asset pooling companies...
Manager Intelligence and Market Trends - February 2024
bfinance’s quarterly report in February 2024: read the team’s latest insights on institutional investor activity, risk appetite,...
Open-end Infrastructure Withstands Investor Cooldown
The year 2023 brought a slowdown in fundraising across private infrastructure funds – and private markets more broadly.
Fixed Income with Impact? GSS+ Bonds and Beyond - Sector in Brief
Recent years have brought significant developments for the GSS+ (Green, Social, Sustainability et al) fixed income market. There...
Investor Spotlight: Blue Sky Pioneers Integrated Portfolio Management
The Dutch pension industry is undergoing seismic shifts. Long-anticipated reforms enacted in July 2023 ushered in a Defined...
Natural Capital Investing
Strong market fundamentals and climate impact potential have driven a surge in institutional investor demand for ‘natural...
Endowment & Foundation Investment Survey
In October 2023, 61 senior endowment, foundation and charity/nonprofit investors across 16 countries contributed data and...
Investor Spotlight: The Evolution of Italy’s Pension Landscape
More than two decades have passed since the arrival of complementary pension provision in Italy, which brought with it a massive...
What Is Sustainable Infrastructure Investing Now?
What does sustainable investing look like now in infrastructure? What are the major strategy/fund types available currently to...
Manager Intelligence and Market Trends - November 2023
bfinance’s quarterly report in November 2023: read the team’s latest insights on institutional investor activity, risk appetite,...
Searching for GEMs in ‘All Country’ Global Equity Strategies
In the landscape of ‘global’ active equity strategies, the pendulum has—slowly but surely—swung toward strategies that span both...
Time for Charities to Upgrade Investment Approach, Clarify ESG
Thanks to recent guidance from the Charity Commission for England and Wales, UK charities became the latest cohort of...
‘Ex-China’ Emerging Markets: A New Great Wall in Equities?
New manager research from bfinance reveals the proliferation of ‘Emerging Markets ex-China’ equity strategies. This is now...
Currency Overlays: Active Management is Back
Active currency overlays and ‘currency for alpha’ managers struggled for much of the ‘ZIRP’ era. Now, divergence between major...
Investor Spotlight: TfL Pension Reaps Rewards from Liquid Alternatives
With around 15% of the portfolio in ‘liquid alternatives’ such as hedge funds and a full 45% in ‘alternative investments,’ the...
Investor Spotlight: Social Impact in Focus for Italian Bank Foundations
Italy's ecosystem of banking-originated Foundations is unique in the financial world. Created as part of a major banking system...