Investment Management Weekly articles from December 2008

Investment Management Weekly archives from December 2008

Morningstar to Launch New Database.(At press Time)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff Morningstar has announced plans to provide a comprehensive database for U.S. pensions, endowments and foundations. The firm plans to use information retrieved voluntarily and from public filings to stock the...

New Mexico PERA Adds More RE, PE.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The New Mexico Public Employees' Retirement Association (NMPERA) made commitments to Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors' Energy Fund V and Rockwood Capital's Real Estate Partners Fund VIII at a meeting last month, said...

Private Equity Hire Made at Santa Fe Fund.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The investment committee of the New Mexico Educational Retirement Board (NMERB) voted to make a $30 million commitment in Sevin Rosen Fund X last Monday, said Bob Jacksha, CIO with the $7 billion plan Jacksha said...

Garden State Boosts Manager Roster.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The New Jersey State Investment Council (NJSIC) approved four new alternative investments at a Nov. 20 meeting, confirmed Tom Bell, spokesman for the $70.7 billion plan. Among them were commitments of $100 million...

Odds & Ends.(Odds & Ends)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff * Doug McCalla is retiring from his position as CIO at the $3.7 billion San Diego City Employees' Retirement System on Dec. 31 following nearly 20 years working with the system. McCalla is being replaced by...

CalPERS To Freshen Consultant Pool.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) is looking to refresh its pool of special project and general pension consultants, according to an RFP issued by the $217.3 billion plan. The pool...

New Hampshire Green Lights PE Plan.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The $5.5 billion New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) has approved a strategic plan recommended by newly hired consultant NEPC that would help it reach its target of 4% to the asset class, according to a source at...

Inalytics to Break Ground on U.S. Soil.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis In the current investment environment, due diligence is now more important than ever, and London-based Inalytics Group is convinced that its product which has been utilized by pension schemes and asset managers in the...

Maryland Pool Launches Advisor Search.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The State of Maryland Office of the State Treasurer has issued an RFP on behalf of the $2.1 billion Maryland Local Government Investment Pool (MLGIP), confirmed Mary Christine Jackman, director of investment services...

Pennsylvania Employee Plan Studies Assets.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The Berks County Employee's Retirement Fund will hear the results of an asset/liability study today, Treasurer Nelson Long told IMW last week. Long said that SEI is assisting the $182 million fund with the study....

Big Apple Funds Hunt Down Equity Firms.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The $100 billion New York City Retirement Systems (NYCRS) is tapping the market for active domestic equity mid- and smid-cap managers. The RFP was issued by the City of New York Office of the Comptroller on behalf...

Tulare Moves Ahead With Search.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Tulare County Employees' Retirement Association (TCERA) is moving forward with its search for a new small-to-mid-cap value manager, confirmed David Kehler, administrator of the $1 billion California plan. The...

Texas Perm Fund Sticks with BlackRock.(News)
December 1, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The $25 billion Texas Permanent School Fund (TPSF) has renewed its contract with investment manager BlackRock, said spokeswoman Debbie Ratcliffe. BlackRock will continue to oversee a roughly $3 billion...

Hard Times Hit Harvard.(At Press Time)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff Harvard University has released a statement showing the effects of the recent market turmoil on the country's largest endowment fund-and it doesn't look good. From the end of the last financial year on June 30...

Indiana TRF Moves to Fill Manager Slots.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Indiana State Teachers' Retirement Fund (TRF) has added new managers to its roster, in efforts to fill up new allocations approved in August, said Molly Deuberry, spokeswoman for the $9 billion plan. The board...

Mass. PRIM Considers Holding Cash.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo Times have been especially tough on the Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (PRIM), the state's $39.3 billion pension fund. In the first 10 months of 2008, PRIM dropped $14.4 billion, as every...

Odds & Ends.(Odds & Ends)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff * PacificA Alternative Asset Management Company (PAAMCO) is picking up Asian hedge fund-of-funds manager KBC Alpha Asset Management, including the firm's nine-member investment team, funds and clients. KBC will be...

Cowboy State to Review Portfolio.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The Wyoming State Treasurer's Office (STO) has asked its investment advisor to conduct an asset review in light of recent portfolio losses. According to an Associated Press report, the Wyoming STO reported losses...

Massachusetts Fund Issues Trio of RFPs.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Taunton Contributory Retirement System has rolled out searches for a mid-cap core equity manager to oversee a $16 million mandate, a core fixed-income firm to oversee a $24 million portfolio and a core-plus bond...

Acadian Explores New Frontier.(Manager Investment Profile)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Dave Lindorff Most modern-day investors are used to being able to just go on line and make a trade, or at least to pick up the phone and call a broker and order a trade, whenever they want. With global markets, it can even be...

Michigan Plan Rethinks Hedge Fund Hire.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The Ann Arbor Employees' Retirement System has pulled out of its decision to hire HRJ Capital for a hedge fund-of-funds mandate. The firm would have managed the plan's first investment in the space, alongside...

HarborVest on Board at Alaska Plan.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC) has named HarborVest Partners as a new private equity manager at the plan, according to a statement released last week. HarborVest will manage a discretionary broadly...

San Mateo Picks Three for Large-Cap Core.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The San Mateo County Employees' Retirement Association (SamCERA) hired three managers in its search for firms to oversee large-cap core enhanced index mandates at a Nov. 25 meeting, confirmed David Bailey, CEO with the...

Stanislaus Completes Small-Cap Search.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo Capital Prospects has been retained by the Stanislaus County Employees' Retirement Association (StanCERA) for its small-cap value emerging multiple manager program. The board interviewed Capital Prospects and...

New Director For Arizona Teachers.(News)
December 8, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo George Hopkins is the new director at the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System (ATRS), confirmed Gail Bolden, chief operating officer and interim director with the $10 billion plan. He will begin his duties with the...

Rhode Island Fund to Tap HY Market.(At Press Time)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff The City of Woonsocket Pension Fund will be investing in high yield bonds for the first time ever, as it seeks to offset market losses. According to a published report, newly hired consultant Punter Southall...

Maryland County Fund Launches Two Searches.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Calvert County Retirement Plans has launched searches for two value managers-one to oversee $6 million in large-cap and another to manage $4 million in mid-cap. According to the RFPs issued, the plan will...

REITs Being Eyed By Kansas Employees'.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Kansas Public Employees' Retirement System (KPERS) is looking to add an active U.S. REIT manager to its stable. According to an RFP issued, the plan currently has 8.4% of its assets allocated to real estate,...

Illinois Teachers' Plan Lets Neuberger Loose.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Teachers' Retirement System of the State of Illinois (TRS) will undertake an asset allocation study, which it hopes should be wrapped up by its April 2009 meeting, said Eva Goltermann, spokeswoman for the $30...

Kansas City Police Adds Tactical A/A.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The Kansas City Police Employees' Retirement System has tapped its investment consultant to assist with tactical asset allocation decisions, said James Pyle, manager at the Missouri fund. DeMarche Associates...

Odds & Ends.(Odds & Ends)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Editorial Staff * AXA Investment Managers has named Graham Nicol head of credit ex-U.S., a new position with the firm. He will report to Theo Zemek, the firm's global head of fixed-income. Prior to joining AXA, Nicol was head of...

Survey Reveals Outlook for Alternatives.(Industry at a glance)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The findings of The Greenwich Roundtable and Quinnipiac University's "Survey of Investor Preferences" have been published, revealing the attitudes of investors toward alternative investments in the wake of recent...

Absolute Return In Store for NHRS.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The New Hampshire Retirement System (NHRS) has carved out a plan to invest in absolute return for the calendar year 2009. At its meeting last week, NHRS' investment committee and consultant NEPC drafted an Absolute...

Oakland 911 Fund Removes Two.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Jakema Lewis The $615 million Oakland Police and Fire Retirement Systems heard recommendations from consultant Pension Consultant Alliance (PCA) last week that did not bode well for two of its equity managers. PCA suggested...

A Changing World for Hedge Funds.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Gerelyn Terzo At a time when precious little is certain in the financial markets, one thing couldn't be more clear: the hedge fund industry is about to change dramatically. From investment strategies and leverage ratios to fee...

San Fran Halves Private Equity For 2009.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The San Francisco City & County Employees' Retirement System (SFERS) recently approved changes to its alternative investment program that would cut its commitment pace nearly in half for 2009, said David Kushner,...

Mass. PRIM Kicks Off Two Searches.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Massachusetts Pension Reserves Investment Management Board (PRIM) has begun two new searches. The first RFP seeks proposals for general investment and/or hedge fund-of-funds consultants, in a move that could...

Emerging Markets Firm on Watch at IPERS.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo As first reported on imweekly.com (12/8/08), Emerging Markets Management (EMM) was added to the watchlist at the Iowa Public Employees' Retirement System (IPERS) at a Dec. 4 meeting, said CIO Karl Koch. Koch...

Virginia Plan Seeks New Consultant.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Virginia College Savings Plan (VCSP) has launched a search for an investment advisor, due to the upcoming contract expiration of incumbent Mercer, said Ruth Intress, spokeswoman for the roughly $24.9 billion plan....

Massachusetts Plan Conducts Search.(News)
December 15, 2008... Byline: Marc Sorondo The Maynard Contributory Retirement System has its eye on a manager to oversee up to $700,000 in alternative investments. It appears that this may be a new asset class for the system, as the Massachusetts Public...