Opalesque exclusive: Climate risk puts pressure on bonds, debt portfolios... [more]Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: New research from MSCI considers the potential impact of climate risk on bond portfolios as well as private equity and private debt investments. The findi

Opalesque Exclusive: Venture capital can be a diversifier, but many investors are still underweight... [more]Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: New research from Hardman & Co suggests that retail investors could benefit from adding venture capital to portfolios at a higher weighting than previously considered. Venture capital is often included in an alternatives sleeve accounting for 5-20% of an inve

Partech raises $750m growth fund... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Paris-based Partech, a VC firm that invests in Internet and information technology startups at Seed, venture, and growth stages, announced the closing of Partech Growth II fund at €650m ($750m). The current fund is significantly above the Partech Growth I fund that

Hedge fund advanced in October with CTA funds in the lead supported by higher commodity prices... [more]Opalesque Industry Update - Hedge fund managers ended the month of October up 1.35% on an equal-weighted basis, and up 0.89% on an asset-weighted basis, said Eurekahedge. Risk assets rallied during the month driven by strong corporate earnings, a continuation of accommodative monetary policy and pi

Are hedge fund 'bubble' bets naughty or nice?... [more]From Bloomberg: More than a decade after Lloyd Blankfein, then-boss of Goldman Sachs Group Inc., claimed banks do "god's work," the finance industry still struggles to convince the public it's a force for good. A new chapter in this debate has erupted in Europe where hedge funds and national go

Investors prepare for swings, opportunities as Omicron variant spreads... [more]From Reuters: The latest COVID-19 virus variant has sparked a wild ride in markets. Investors say the volatility probably isn't over yet, as they look for selective opportunities to pounce on while protecting their portfolios as the year-end nears. The emergence of the Omicron variant saw the S

New Launches: ESG-focused hedge fund launched by Canada market veterans, Manulife Investment Management closes infrastructure fund on $4.65bn, Barings targets innovative companies with new global tech fund, Crypto exchange Huobi launching first fund of funds, Lime Rock New Energy announces final close of debut fund, Bessemer closes $220m fund dedicated for early-stage Indian startups... [more] ESG-focused hedge fund launched by Canada market veterans From Bloomberg: A group of government and markets veterans have started a hedge fund that will invest only in companies that promote positive environmental, social and governance policies -- and bet against those that fail to do

Institutional Investor: District of Columbia shifts $175m to 2 funds, Korea Post hires two foreign firms for private equity mandate, Mirae as hedge fund adviser, Texas County & District aims $125m at distressed debt... [more] District of Columbia shifts $175m to 2 funds From PIonline.com: District of Columbia Retirement Board approved two new alternative fund commitments totaling up to $175 million. At its Nov. 18 meeting, the board approved commitments of up to $100 million to Kelso Investment Associa

SPACs: Grab heads for public market as investors approve SPAC deal, Bitcoin miner Griid Infrastructure to go public via $3.3bn SPAC deal, Better.com gets $750m cash infusion in new agreement with its SPAC backers, Manscaped SPAC shaves public investors' consent, 23andMe earmarks cash from SPAC deal for drug development... [more] Grab heads for public market as investors approve SPAC deal From Bloomberg: Investors voted to approve the merger of ride-hailing provider Grab Holdings Inc. and Altimeter Growth Corp., completing one of the largest special purpose acquisition company deals ever after a year of tumult

People: Europe's "top trader" escapes to a hedge fund, Eaton Partners appoints Jonathan Lee to head Asia Pacific, AlternativeSoft adds new hires to fuel company's growth... [more] Europe's "top trader" escapes to a hedge fund From eFinancial Careers: In a year when hedge funds like Balyasny are engaged in some enormous hiring, the temptation to move to a hedge fund is considerable. - Especially if you happen to be an equities index trader and you've just won an

Crypto: Study finds more than four out of five serious crypto traders say they make money, Omicron crypto is a bet on attention, Indian government confirms that its new crypto bill is not the same as the old one, Crypto exchange backed by Peter Thiel and Richard Li goes live for institutional clients, How crypto vigilantes are hunting scams in a $100bn market... [more] Study finds more than four out of five serious crypto traders say they make money Opalesque Industry Update - More than four out of five serious regular crypto traders are making money in the markets, global research from blockchain-based derivatives trading platform CloseCross shows.

U.S.: Corporate pension buyouts hit $15.8bn in Q3, Falling dollars shows resurgence of infamous carry trade... [more] Corporate pension buyouts hit $15.8bn in Q3 From PIonline.com: U.S. corporate pension plan buyout sales totaled $15.8 billion in the quarter ended Sept. 30, a LIMRA Secure Retirement Institute survey found. The amount for the quarter was well above the $5 billion in activity in

Asia: New sustainability rules for Hong Kong MPF schemes, China's panda bond market: too trending to ignore... [more] New sustainability rules for Hong Kong MPF schemes From Asian Investor: MPF scheme trustees are required to review and assess whether their existing investment and risk management arrangements are in adherence to the principles. Hong Kong's Mandatory Provident Fund Schemes Authorit

PE/VC: Knives out: PE carves out deals, How China's regulatory crackdown is the new normal for private equity... [more] Knives out: PE carves out deals From PE News: Tea bags, turbine blades and television sets. Some of the world's biggest companies are racing to unload a myriad of unwanted assets as they shift their focus to higher-growth areas and private equity firms are at the front of the queue to

ESG: Germany among those set to benefit most from green transition... [more]From Funds Europe: Germany, the US and China, are the countries set to benefit the most from the ongoing transition to a green economy, Lombard Odier research has found. The report, produced by the University of Oxford and Lombard Odier that looked at the predictors of success in a greening wor

Activists: Glencore's activist is misguided but not unhelpful, Czech bank defends $1.2bn merger opposed by activist fund... [more] Glencore's activist is misguided but not unhelpful From Reuters: Emboldened by its recent success at Danone, activist Bluebell Capital is trying its luck at Glencore. With coal prices near record highs, the upstart fund has chosen an unfortunate moment to argue that investors woul

News Briefs: Grayscale launches Solana trust... [more]Opalesque Industry Update - Grayscale Investments, the world's largest digital currency asset manager, today announced the launch of Grayscale Solana Trust -- the sixteenth product in Grayscale's suite of investment offerings. The Trust is solely and passively invested in Solana (SOL), the nativ

And, finally: A Dog's Life... [more]From AP: Gunther VI, a German shepherd, is selling his Biscayne Bay, Florida, Tuscan-style villa that once belonged to Madonna. Yes, you heard that right. Gunther inherited the mansion from Gunther IV, his handlers told The Associated Press, along with a "vast fortune." It all began when Gunthe