The Corona Fighters Report 56: Asset managers who delivered in the downturn... [more]Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: Bovell Global Macro Fund up over 100% past 12 months This is our regular report on hedge funds and alternative asset managers who are successfully protecting

Covid-19 prompts a rise in 'social considerations' to the forefront of ESG investing... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Fund managers are paying more attention to social considerations, such as labor rights and diversity, than they were prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, said a study. According to BNP Paribas Asset Management (BNPP AM) study on the importance of ESG criteria for

U.S. Public pensions rebound in Q2 with $308bn asset gain... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: U.S. public pension funding during Q2 2020 rebounded gaining $308 billion in the market value of assets and reversing Q1 losses, said a study. Milliman's Public Pension Funding Index (PPFI), which consists of the nation's 100 largest public defined benefit

Singapore hedge fund gaining 27% sticks with Asia tech... [more]From Bloomberg: A Singapore-based hedge fund is betting on continued recovery in Asian technology stocks, as it expects consumer demand held back by the coronavirus pandemic will soon rebound. Timefolio Asset Management SG Pvt's Asia equity long short fund has gained 27% so far this year, with

New Launches: Hedge fund Axonic raises $1bn to scour credit market for bargains, Apollo targets $3.5bn for new infrastructure fund, Actis locks in $2.9bn so far for latest energy fund, Shinhan, Carlyle to create $600m infra fund, JPMAM unveils euro money market fund that turns up risk gradually, TrueBridge Capital Partners closes sixth venture capital fund-of-funds, at $600m, VC firm Amiti secures $110m for third fund, UK thematic firm looks beyond FAANGs with digital opps fund... [more]Hedge fund Axonic raises $1bn to scour credit market for bargains From FT: Axonic Capital, one of the hedge funds hit hardest during a big credit-market sell-off in March, has raised close to $1bn in new capital this year, suggesting that investors are clamouring for exposure to beaten-

Hedge funds expanding role in M&A market... [more]From Business Korea: Hedge funds are emerging as new players in the M&A market. Their scope is expanding to financing for PEFs and buyout deals. According to investment banking sources, AJ Group acquired 100 percent of Daelim Industrial's and Affirma Capital's shares in Daelim Motorcycle, the la

Institutional Investors: ERAFP seeks 4 multiasset managers to manage $1.1bn, CalSTRS' master plan to rein in investment costs, Public pension plans likely to see flat returns for fiscal year, MP Pension revises up full-year returns expectation after Q2 rebound, Why Taiwan's BLF needs more than alts allocations... [more]ERAFP seeks 4 multiasset managers to manage $1.1bn From PIonline.com: Etablissement de Retraite Additionnelle de la Fonction Publique, Paris, is searching for four managers to manage multiasset portfolios, according to a notice on European procurement website Tenders Electronic Daily.

Wall Street forges a new relationship to data in coronavirus age... [more]From Bloomberg: Alternative data has been a buzzword on Wall Street for years. Never has demand been greater than during the coronavirus era. For many professionals, fundamental and technical stock analysis now take a back seat to epidemiological charts and real-time economic signals. Macro econ

Investing: US hedge fund invests in $5bn British fintech star TransferWise, Elon Musk is closer than ever to a $2.4bn payout as Tesla's stock skyrockets, Where to invest in Europe for a coronavirus recovery, Warren Buffett may have bought back more than $5bn in Berkshire Hathaway stock in recent weeks... [more]US hedge fund invests in $5bn British fintech star TransferWise US-based global investment firm D1 Capital Partners L.P. (D1) has announced it has purchased a stake in one of the UK's leading fintech companies - online money transfer service TransferWise. Sky News reported on Monday

Ackman's blank check company raises IPO target to $4 billion... [more]From Reuters: Pershing Square Tontine Holdings, the blank check company backed by billionaire investor Bill Ackman, has increased the size of its initial public offering by $1 billion to $4 billion, the largest ever IPO by a special purpose acquisition company, or SPAC. The firm plans to go public

People: HIG Capital appoints head of direct lending in Europe, RenRe's Dutt to join Aeolus, Dimensional names CEO for Asia ex-Japan, JPMorgan just promoted 320 people to MD - and more than a third are women... [more]HIG Capital appoints head of direct lending in Europe H.I.G. Capital, a global private equity investment firm with over €34 billion of equity capital under management, is pleased to announce today that Pascal Meysson has joined H.I.G. Capital as a Managing Director and Head of H.I.

Crypto: Crypto investment firm Paradigm is now sponsoring a Bitcoin Core developer, Data shows the 'cheaper Altcoins make higher returns' myth is flawed, Compound tops $1bn in crypto loans as DeFi farmers keep digging for yield... [more]Crypto investment firm Paradigm is now sponsoring a Bitcoin Core developer From The Block Crypto: Crypto investment firm Paradigm is joining the list of digital asset companies that fund bitcoin development with a grant for Australian bitcoin core developer Anthony Towns. The Califo

Commodity: Hedge funds pause oil buying as rally stalls, Don't buy an oil fund with an identity problem, Hedge funds still bullish on gold and silver but bearish cracks appearing... [more]Hedge funds pause oil buying as rally stalls From Reuters: Hedge funds have stopped buying oil in recent weeks as the rally that carried prices higher during May and June has run out of momentum, amid concerns about the faltering economic recovery. Hedge funds and other money manage

Tech: State Super moves to add machine learning tools, Is Big Tech under threat?... [more]State Super moves to add machine learning tools From PIonline.com: Australia's State Super has hired Neuberger Berman LLC for an equity mandate and to help the fund accelerate development of data science and machine learning tools that can complement its more traditional investment capa

U.S.: NYC hedge funds angle for work-from-home windfall on their taxes, Wall Street advance cut short as tech shares give up gains, Amid pandemic, wealthy U.S. families approved for government loans... [more]NYC hedge funds angle for work-from-home windfall on their taxes From Bloomberg: Hedge fund managers who fled Manhattan to work from their second or third homes this year could end up saving millions of dollars -- and cost New York City dearly. Investment firms that pay the city's

Europe: UK becomes 'zombie' business capital of Europe... [more]From Telegraph: Britain has become Europe's "zombie" capital, accounting for a third of the region's indebted companies kept alive by record low interest rates and bailouts. Corporate debt is expected to rise still further this year as firms borrow to survive in the aftermath of Covid-19. The s

Asia: Google to invest $10bn in India's digitisation fund, Asia fund selectors gain risk appetite, Chinese fund groups retreat from global growth drives... [more]Google to invest $10bn in India's digitisation fund From BBC: Google will invest $10bn (£7.93bn) in India in the next five to seven years, the chief executive of its parent company Alphabet Inc has announced. Sundar Pichai spoke at the annual Google for India event, held online.

PE/VC: Could this new metric upend private equity compensation?, Venture funding remains elusive for Black tech entrepreneurs in the US, Fintech to drive biggest VC exits over next five years, Second-quarter VC investing totals appear lackluster... [more]Could this new metric upend private equity compensation? From Institutional Investor: A secondaries investor and public pension fund are publishing what they say is the first methodology for calculating the dollar value of excess returns generated by private market investments. The

Study: Chinese investors in need of professional advice, Standard Chartered PB survey finds 'increased HNW investor interest' in sustainable investing... [more]Chinese investors in need of professional advice From Fund Selector Asia: Individual investors in China are not capable of managing assets by themselves to preserve and expand wealth, according to research conducted by Zhang Xiaoyan, professor of finance at Tsinghua University. The

Opinion: Hedge fund manager Singh calls Trump's handling of coronavirus 'an incredible gift'... [more]From Reuters: President Donald Trump's handling of the coronavirus outbreak early this year was "an incredible gift" for investors because it kept markets stable long enough for some to protect their portfolios, Axon Capital co-founder Dinakar Singh told investors this month. Trump has justified

ESG: Managers, consultants team up to promote Black talent, ESG-friendly stocks have done better in virus downturn, Fear not: ESG does not spell doom for energy funds... [more]Managers, consultants team up to promote Black talent From PIonline.com: A group of financial services firms have come together to tackle the underrepresentation of Black talent in the U.K. investment industry. Consultants Redington, Aon, Lane Clark & Peacock and Mercer; money manag

Legal: Bridgewater Associates falsified evidence against employees, arbitrators say, Lawsuit over Kentucky Retirement System hedge fund investments dismissed... [more]Bridgewater Associates falsified evidence against employees, arbitrators say From Fox: Hedge fund Bridgewater Associates was found by a panel of arbitrators to have "manufactured false evidence" in a case in which the company attempted to prove that its former employees had stolen trade

Regulatory: Wall Street regulator will watch markets from home until October, Lawmakers endorse Hong Kong's fund domicile ambitions, Bermuda company ownership register will be accessible to public... [more]Wall Street regulator will watch markets from home until October From Bloomberg: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will allow most employees to continue working from home at least until October as the Wall Street regulator extends accommodations initiated in response to the c

Activists: Activist investors making more attempts, having less success in 2020, Crown Castle's 'good story can get even better' on activist fight, Jim Cramer says, Hedge fund challenges Latam shareholders to finance airline's bankruptcy... [more]Activist investors making more attempts, having less success in 2020 From PIonline.com: Activist investor campaigns at public companies were up globally in the first half of 2020, but they have been less successful than in years past, a report Monday from CGLytics shows. There were

News Briefs: Indian billionaire seeks hedge funds to rescue half-built homes, 'Expat exodus' as 1.5 million forecast to leave Kuwait this year, $11bn deal highlights the rise of 'blank cheque' companies, Wealthy investors worry about lack of cash if pandemic returns... [more]Indian billionaire seeks hedge funds to rescue half-built homes From Bloomberg: Piramal Enterprises Ltd. is seeking new investors including hedge funds to help raise cash and fund working capital for the real estate projects it lends to so they don't languish half built. The firm c

And, finally: Oregon police catches two birds with one stone... [more]From BizarreNews: What are the chances? You've stolen a car and you're feeling pretty good about yourself. You made a clean get away and you're cruising down the street looking forward to enjoying your ill-gotten gains when *CRASH* you get run into by another car. Another car that just so happens to