Global wealth holds steady despite pandemic strains... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: 2019 was an exceptional year for wealth creation, with total global wealth rising by USD36.3 trillion. The onset of the pandemic, however, resulted in a USD17.5 trillion drop in household wealth between January to March, said Credit Suisse Research Institute. The an

Asset managers plan to outsource data management to focus on investing... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Asset managers plan to outsource functions such as data management and middle and back-office operations in order to cut costs and focus on their core job of generating investment returns for clients, said a study. "Many asset management firms are increasingly

500 largest global asset managers exceed $100tn AUM bar... [more]Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: The world's 500 largest asset management companies exceeded the $100trn threshold in assets under management for the first time in the sector's history. They ended 2019 with a cumulated $104.4trn in assets under management, up 14.8% year-on-year, said a study. A

Hedge funds are slow to come back in complex credit markets... [more]From Institutional Investor: When the pandemic roiled the markets in March, hedge funds investing in structured credit were among the hardest hit of any strategy - and they're still struggling to make a comeback. Despite massive intervention by the Federal Reserve in credit markets this year, these

Hedge funds in positive territory for 2020... [more]From City Wire: Following a turbulent start to the year, hedge funds have edged into positive territory year to date, helped along by a rising public equity market, fuelled by monetary and fiscal policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic in developed markets. In the three months to the end of Septem

COVID-19 pandemic deals body blow to quant models, study shows... [more]From Reuters: The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a body blow to the quantitative model-based style of investing, with a majority of the firms using such strategies negatively impacted, a study by Refinitiv has found. In a report, financial data provider Refinitiv said 72% of such investors wer

New Launches: Danish crypto traders launch hedge fund, Fundraise for Starwood distressed property fund now at $5.6bn, Amplify raises $375m across two funds, Evolution Technology Fund II eyes $250m final close, Bixin Ventures rolls out $100m blockchain fund, UVC Partners announces third fund, Cheyne raises $651m as it targets European real estate debt dislocation... [more]Danish crypto traders launch hedge fund From Cyprus Mail: Larnaca-based ARK36 announces its launch as a hedge fund focused on the cryptocurrency markets, delivering a risk-adjusted exposure to crypto-assets for professional investors. Grant Thornton Cyprus is fund administrator. W

As famed value investor closes his fund, market analysts talk how long growth's dominance may last... [more]From CNBC: Even the top value investors are struggling. The theme's longtime underperformance relative to growth has now led famed investor Ted Aronson to close his $10 billion value-focused fund, the latest in a series of hits to the value trade. Value, tracked in part by the iShares S&P 500

Crispin Odey's hedge fund mulls name change... [more]From This Is Money: Crispin Odey's hedge fund business is considering a rebrand that could see the tycoon's name drop off some of its funds. Odey Asset Management, the Mayfair-based company he founded in 1991, has also drawn up emergency plans in case he is unable to continue running investments.

Institutional Investors: Texas Municipal aiming $1.2bn at private equity in 2021, Illinois State Universities assigns $240m to alternatives, German pension scheme to expand private debt allocation, St. Lucie County firefighters goes with credit hedge fund... [more]Texas Municipal aiming $1.2bn at private equity in 2021 From PIonline.com: Texas Municipal Retirement System, Austin, will commit up to $1.2 billion to private equity in 2021, a potential increase of $200 million from the prior year, according to an annual review of the asset class presen

Investing: Netflix's next act - and the hedge fund fortunes at stake, Hedge fund boss Josh Gruss set to bank $10m as Round Hill music fund aims for float, Hedge fund darling Mirati's $5bn stock rally set for test... [more]Netflix's next act - and the hedge fund fortunes at stake From Institutional Investor: Has Netflix lost its mojo? This is what many investors are reflexively asking as the popular and prolific performer reports disappointing or negative results and the stock sags. The answer will have a

Crypto: Cryptocurrencies: Asset class or something else?, Novogratz says Bitcoin is digital gold, not a currency for now, Bitcoin resurgence leaves institutional acceptance unanswered, Kraken relaunches crypto trading in Japan after two-year break... [more]Cryptocurrencies: Asset class or something else? From All About Alpha: With the rising prices of Bitcoin and public awareness on blockchain, investors have drawn their attention to cryptocurrency markets, driven by the promise of significant returns compared to the flat or negative yields

Currency: Digital Yuan deemed a 'highest potential return' investment by independent researchers... [more]From AP: Recently, YuanPay Group has released the research report on Digital Yuan, China's Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC). Digital Yuan is the newest addition to the global digital currency portfolio. It's the first currency of its kind that is fully backed and sponsored by a large nation and

Property: Goldman Sachs in talks with Blackstone to take over $1bn retail property, Korean asset owners avoid European real estate... [more]Goldman Sachs in talks with Blackstone to take over $1bn retail property From PE Insights: Goldman Sachs is in advanced talks to take over the Blanchardstown Centre from owner Blackstone, according to sources, as the pandemic prompted retailers to close their doors and sent rent collectio

Tech: How JPMorgan's $4bn tech fund is riding the boom on Tesla and PayPal to beat active flows... [more]From Financial News: The US asset manager pulled in €1.9bn last month, driven by demand for its funds offering exposure to China and US technology companies. JPMorgan Asset Management topped a list for active fund flows during September, buoyed by demand for equity funds in a month that s

U.S.: Wall Street profits soared in first half of 2020 amid the worst pandemic in a century, report says, Private equity smashes its campaign-spending record with 2020 races... [more]Wall Street profits soared in first half of 2020 amid the worst pandemic in a century, report says From Market Watch: Wall Street profits surged in the first half of 2020, aided by a injection of federal fiscal stimulus intended to limit the economic damage from the COVID-19 pandemic, a

Europe: Is Europe headed for a fiscal union?... [more]From Bloomberg: Amid the gloom of the pandemic's second wave, some European enthusiasts are wondering whether this crisis might finally usher in a "fiscal union" of states - something akin to the U.S. The roaring success this week of the European Union's first social bond, issued to help fight off t

Asia: Jim Rogers says Australia will suffer a downturn WORSE than the Great Depression, China repeats opening up pledges in drive to lure foreign investors into Shanghai, China's national pension fund keen to play 'active' role in Ant Group's IPO... [more]Jim Rogers says Australia will suffer a downturn WORSE than the Great Depression From Daily Mail: A hedge fund millionaire who famously went into business with billionaire master speculator George Soros is predicting Australia will sink into a downturn worse than the 1930s Great Depress

PE/VC: How Berlin has become a centre for European venture capital, France broadens retail investor access to private equity, COVID changing how venture capitalists invest in IPOs, Investors pump billions into biotech startups, pay skyrocketing prices... [more]How Berlin has become a centre for European venture capital For brits of a certain age and inclination, Berlin is a city that is forever linked with David Bowie. When he lived there in the late 1970s, Bowie's life was in flux. He was estranged from his wife, splitting from his managemen

Study: Academics say momentum factor is 'much weaker' than you think... [more]From Institutional Investor: One of the "most well-documented and well-researched" investment factors may not be as powerful as commonly believed, according to researchers at Germany's University of Mannheim. That factor is momentum, or the tendency of past winners to continue to outperform p

UCITS and AIFs continue to record net inflows in August... [more]Opalesque Industry Update - The European Fund and Asset Management Association (EFAMA) has published its latest monthly Investment Fund Industry Fact Sheet, which provides net sales data of UCITS and AIFs for August 2020. Bernard Delbecque, Senior Director for Economics and Research commented: "

ESG: Record flows pour into ESG funds as their 'wokeness' is debated, Investors eager to see more high-yield green bonds, Northern LGPS targets '100% Paris alignment', Hedge fund billionaire Chris Hohn: 'Asset management industry is a joke' on climate change... [more]Record flows pour into ESG funds as their 'wokeness' is debated From Bloomberg: Exchange-traded funds built on environmental, social and governance themes have attracted record inflows this year, as the U.S. grapples with the pandemic, devastating weather and racial unrest. But for anyo

Legal: Investors battle Fidelity in court over tax-break deal... [more]From WSJ: In the final days of 2017, Malcolm and Emily Fairbairn thought they had everything ready to cushion the income-tax hit from more than $200 million in hedge-fund income. They prepared a large charitable donation, using their relationship with Fidelity Investments and a booming energy stock

Activists: Starboard tries to find another winner in the fintech space... [more]From CNBC: Starboard is a very successful activist investor and has extensive experience helping companies focus on operational efficiency and margin improvement. Starboard has had recent success in the electronic payments industry. It filed a 13D on Green Dot Corp (GDOT) on February 3, 202

News Briefs: Goldman Sachs sends employees home after two Covid-19 cases on trading floors, Why Tom Steyer, hedge fund billionaire and Biden adviser, is disillusioned with the free market, Fund managers grapple with limits of remote working... [more]Goldman Sachs sends employees home after two Covid-19 cases on trading floors From Financial News: Goldman Sachs has sent some employees at its Plumtree Court headquarters home after two staff on its London trading floors tested positive for Covid-19, as banks in the City keep some key

And, finally: How to convert your body to scrap metal... [more]A German man set a Guinness World Record for most body modifications -- and he says he isn't finished altering his body. Rolf Buchholz said his enthusiasm for body modification didn't awaken until he got his first tattoo at age 40, but he soon became addicted and now has 516 body modifications, incl