Net assets of worldwide investment funds increased by 9.8% in Q2 2020... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Worldwide regulated open-ended fund assets increased by 9.8 percent to EUR 51.7 trillion in the second quarter of 2020, said a report by European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA). Worldwide net cash flow to all funds amounted to EUR 818 billion, compar

Opalesque Roundup: Asia hedge funds hiring up disrupted markets: hedge fund news, week 39... [more]In the week ending September 25th 2020, a survey said that hedge funds in Asia have continued to increase their headcount and still have an appetite to hire more talent despite the econom

Endowments' hedge fund bet has time on its side... [more]Most of us want to take the long-term perspective, but cannot. There are too many needs that come up in the short term, and too many risks in the next days, weeks or months that make it harder to get through to the next decades. That is the main reason why the big university endowments are so envied

Citadel Securities doubled profit as dominance grew in wild 2020, Pantera Capital crypto funds report 100% returns amid DeFi craze... [more]Citadel Securities doubled profit as dominance grew in wild 2020 In the last week of March, with the Covid-19 pandemic upending lives and markets, Ken Griffin started building a temporary trading floor in Florida. Citadel Securities mostly abandoned its Chicago and New York offices

Tiger crowd steps up private investing... [more]From Institutional Investor: Firms best known for their hedge funds have aggressively stepped up their investment activity in private companies after a relatively quiet period in the months following the stock-market meltdown. Hedge fund firms with roots to Tiger Management are on a tear funding pri

New Launches: Highland Europe seeks $698m for new tech fund, Ethos starts ESG fund with Clartan Associés, BA Capital raises $147m for renminbi fund, hits first close on dollar fund... [more]Highland Europe seeks $698m for new tech fund Growth investor Highland Europe is seeking around €600m ($698m) for its Highland Europe Technology Growth Fund IV, a regulatory filing indicates. The vehicle is set to be larger than its predecessor, closed in 2018 at €463m. Highland Europe

Low rates and lofty stocks offer case for alternatives... [more]From FT: The investment industry reminds clients that past performance is no guarantee of future returns. This standard disclaimer looks particularly foreboding at the moment for investors facing a world of high bond prices and lofty valuations for tech and quality companies that dominate US and oth

Institutional Investors: Texas County & District slates $85m for distressed debt, San Jose Police & Fire commits to venture capital fund, Quebec's Caisse investing in sustainable agriculture fund... [more]Texas County & District slates $85m for distressed debt From PIonline.com: Texas County & District Retirement System, Austin, made its third commitment to distressed debt so far this year with $85 million going to Signal Capital Partners, said a transaction report for the $30.7 billion

Investing: Hedge fund bets on lithium miner after big electric vehicle win... [more]From Bloomberg: Formidable Asset Management LLC, a hedge fund that bet on electric-vehicle maker Workhorse Group Inc., and battery maker Nano One Materials Corp. is now putting its money on a lithium mining company. The Cincinnati-based fund sees Lithium Americas Corp. as a "differentiated oper

People: New president announced for Principal's global asset management business, Martin Sorrell's son just got promoted at Goldman Sachs. These five others followed dad in finance... [more]New president announced for Principal's global asset management business From PIonline.com: Patrick Halter was named president of Principal Financial Group's global asset management business. He will replace Timothy M. Dunbar, who will retire at the end of the year, confirmed Principal

Currency: Currency markets are overestimating the risk of a delayed US election result, Goldman Sachs says, Dollar's best week since April shows it still has haven appeal... [more]Currency markets are overestimating the risk of a delayed US election result, Goldman Sachs says From Business Insider: Markets are overpricing the risks of a delayed election result, Goldman Sachs said in a note Thursday. Analysts Michael Cahill and Alec Phillips, said markets are like

Crypto: Crypto hedge funds and mining regulations: Bad crypto news of the week, Russia proposes harsh penalties for unreported cryptocurrency holdings, US SEC issues no-action letter on compressed digital asset settlement process, Over $150m drained in KuCoin crypto exchange hack, Crypto ETP volumes fell in September as investors sought safer options... [more]Crypto hedge funds and mining regulations: Bad crypto news of the week From Coin Telegraph: It's been a difficult week for Bitcoin this week. The price has fallen about 5 percent over the last seven days to drop beneath $10,400. It could bounce but if it continues downwards, it might dr

SWF: China Investment Corp. posts 17.4% gain on overseas portfolio... [more]From Hindustan Times: China's $1 trillion sovereign wealth fund posted a 17.4% return on overseas investments last year as global stocks rallied, boosting its finances as it combats volatile markets amid the pandemic. Net income, which also includes profits from holdings in the nation's state ba

U.S.: Investors ramp up bets on market turmoil around election, Hedge funds are slow-walking Wall Street's return to office... [more]Investors ramp up bets on market turmoil around election From WSJ: Investors are betting on one of the most volatile U.S. election seasons on record, wagering on unusually large swings in everything from stocks to currencies as they brace for what could be a weekslong haul of unpredicta

Europe: PensionsEurope rejects sustainable finance lobbying depiction, Germany plans record bond sales in 2021 to help stem crisis... [more]PensionsEurope rejects sustainable finance lobbying depiction From IPE: PensionsEurope has rejected as unfounded a think tank's depiction of its lobbying on EU sustainable finance policy, in particular expressing concerns about a suggestion the association was misaligned with its member

Middle East: Qatar- CLOs fight back against hedge fund efforts to siphon value... [more]From Gulf Times: Collateralised loan obligations are the biggest investors in the $1.2tn leveraged loan market, yet for months they've been bullied by hedge funds and other money managers exploiting a glaring weakness in their structures. Now, they're fighting back. Brigade Capital Management, B

Asia: Questions raised over Asian ETFs in unyielding market, China's massive bond market will be more accessible to foreign investors next year... [more]Questions raised over Asian ETFs in unyielding market From FT: Bond exchange traded funds (ETFs) are known for their aggressive expansion. Offering lower fees and better trading than traditional counterparts, bond ETFs - which passively follow indices of bonds and trade on exchanges - a

Outlook: Geopolitics and investment in emerging markets after COVID19... [more]As investors ponder the impact of the world's greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression, emerging markets (EMs) face a swift reversal of fortune. Some of the fastest-growing economies in the world have been brought to a virtual standstill, reeling with the effects of an exogenous shock to

PE/VC: Pace of private equity, venture deals to rebound, Why investors in China private equity might be missing out on most of the market... [more]Pace of private equity, venture deals to rebound From CIO: Investors may have slowed the pace of private equity deals early on in the pandemic, but many expect it will pick up again as technology disruptions across all sectors create new opportunities, according to panelists at a confe

ESG: UK money managers accused of 'greenwashing' diversity problems, 'Largest ever' asset manager ESG evaluation launched, Asian ESG-linked financing opportunities draw European banks, Climate change investing may not be your thing, but a 78% YTD return is... [more]UK money managers accused of 'greenwashing' diversity problems The UK's multi-trillion-pound fund management market has been ?accused of "greenwashing" diversity problems and of neglecting calls to overhaul an industry dominated by white, middle-aged men. In a letter to be sent toda

Legal: Marble Ridge reaches agreement with Neiman Marcus - but a Texas Judge has sharp words for the hedge fund, Alphabet to fund $310m diversity initiative to settle sexual misconduct lawsuit from shareholders... [more]Marble Ridge reaches agreement with Neiman Marcus - but a Texas Judge has sharp words for the hedge fund From Institutional Investor: Hedge fund Marble Ridge appears to have reached an agreement with retailer Neiman Marcus that could potentially end the two-year saga between the upscale

Regulatory: Korea seeks to toughen hedge fund laws amid fraud scandals... [more]From Pulse News: South Korea is set to amend laws to better protect private equity investors after the recent series of fraud scandals laid bare a culture of systemic misconduct in the country's fledgling hedge fund market that have caused massive losses to retail investors. Kim Byeong-wook, a l

Activists: A hedge fund looks to stop a big real estate owner from breaking up, Elliott steps in to boost Arconic's sale process... [more]A hedge fund looks to stop a big real estate owner from breaking up From CNBC: Land & Buildings is a real estate focused long-short hedge fund that will try to engage with management on a friendly basis when they see deep value. They invest in real estate in the public markets and selec

News Briefs: Chinese companies head home to raise money, as Beijing's relations with U.S. fray, The new gold rush: western investors offset soft eastern demand, The $2.6tn U.S. Latino market: The largest and fastest growing blindspot of the American economy... [more]Chinese companies head home to raise money, as Beijing's relations with U.S. fray From WSJ: China's most ambitious and fastest-growing companies once flocked to U.S. markets to raise money. Now rising U.S. hostility and the increased attractions of listing closer to home are tipping the

And, finally: When coffee makers are demanding a ransom, you know IoT is screwed... [more]From ARS Techica: With the name Smarter, you might expect a network-connected kitchen appliance maker to be, well, smarter than companies selling conventional appliances. But in the case of the Smarter's Internet-of-things coffee maker, you'd be wrong. Security problems with Smarter products fir