All Alternatives articles – Page 4
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News
Schroders centralises private debt, credit alternatives strategies in new unit
Newly-formed Private Debt and Credit Alternatives (PDCA) business will initially oversee $30bn in assets under management
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News
Inarcassa considers higher exposure to illiquids, infrastructure
The next strategic asset allocation could lead to wiping out liquid alternative investments from the scheme’s portfolio
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News
Pension funds to continue alternatives buying spree
Pension schemes believe infrastructure and natural capital investments such as forestry are best placed to deliver sustainability and impact objectives
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News
KPN pension fund to invest up to €700m in private debt
The €10bn pension fund considers the asset class a vehicle for impact investing
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Special Report
Sustainable fixed income products gain ground
Institutional investor exposure to sustainable investment products has declined in recent months as macroeconomic developments have driven a shift back into fixed income products.
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Special Report
Focus returns to fixed income ETFs
Fixed income is back, baby! In the seven months to the end of July 2023, flows into European-domiciled fixed income exchange-traded funds were €39bn compared with €14bn for the same period last year, according to Morningstar.
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Special Report
Decarbonisation outcomes: preparing portfolios for a low-carbon world
The climate challenge is clear, and more investors are looking to include climate investing solutions in their portfolios. Next to funding climate solutions and enabling negative emissions, the decarbonisation of portfolios is one of the most important objectives for climate investing.
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Opinion Pieces
US pension funds hone in on private credit
Private credit has been one of the fastest growing asset classes in the institutional world over the past several years, according to Catherine Beard, senior vice-president in consultancy Callan’s alternatives group.
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Special Report
Innovation and choice challenge the established players
The wonderful breeding ground of ETFs means that you can now allocate to any sector or specialism you like, from artificial intelligence to recycled gold; export-tilted Japanese companies to carbon credits. New launches this year include Texas Equity, following the fortunes of companies headquartered in the Lone Star State; the euphoniously named Clouty Tune, which brings global exposure to music, entertainment and media; and Breakwave’s Tanker Shipping ETF, which tracks an index for crude oil tankers.
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Special Report
Case study: MHPF - Searching for greater transparency
Transparency is one of the most important elements of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) for many investors. For some, however, there is always room for improvement.
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Special Report
Case study: How CalSTRS uses ETFs to support the energy transition
The California State Teachers’ Retirement System (CalSTRS) manages US$315.6bn (€294.3bn) on behalf of teachers and education staff in the state of California. Environmental considerations and the transition to a low-carbon economy are high priorities for the pension fund, which is one of the biggest public sector funds in the US.
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Special Report
Case study: Ilmarinen - Building a climate-focused future
Finland’s second-biggest pension provider is a keen investor in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), having allocated more than €6bn to a range of equity vehicles in recent years.
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Special Report
Faith-based investing: how to build Shariah-compliant investment portfolios
Ethical investing can be a nuanced task, as aligning one’s investment principles with their beliefs can often be contradictory. On the one hand investors want to maximise their return and minimise their risk to ensure they benefit from the best possible investment outcome. However, on the other hand, they may want to ensure they don’t fund any enterprise which derives revenue from provision of ‘unethical’ goods or services.
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Special Report
Case study: Caja de Ingenieros Gestion - The rise of smart beta
The Spanish pension provider Caja de Ingenieros Gestion serves more than 215,000 members, predominantly from the Spanish engineering sector, using an investment style based on independent analysis, with a bottom-up approach.
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Special Report
The hidden power of an ESG approach to sector investing
Adding an ESG filter to a sector ETF could help investors mitigate risk and may increase returns – while improving ESG and carbon intensity scores.
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Special Report
Case study: Varma - A bespoke approach to ETFs
Varma, the €57.4bn Finnish pension insurer, has been at the forefront of sustainable investing for several years and has used exchange-traded funds to get there.
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Opinion Pieces
Don't expect Dutch pension funds to make a big move to alternative investments
It is often assumed that the upcoming pension reform in the Netherlands will lead pension funds to increase their allocations to alternative assets as their policy priorities will move from protecting their funding ratios to providing indexation for their members.
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Special Report
Bonds are back and aligned with a greener future
Bonds are back in vogue and, of the current fixed income opportunities available, we believe euro-denominated investment-grade credit offers one of the most compelling risk/reward profiles.
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Analysis
Sustainable agriculture is a growing necessity and institutional investors play a key role
Investment manager PGIM stated in a research note in May: “From farm to fork, our global food system is vast, complex, inefficient and increasingly unfit for purpose.”
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Special Report
Active ETFs power ahead
While active managers are out of favour, their strategies embedded in an exchange traded fund package are gaining traction. In fact, they are outpacing passive ETFs as investors look for liquidity and robust risk-adjusted returns with a relatively low price tag.