Michael Pettis on China’s overinvestment paradox, and the Japan-style reckoning still to come
China’s advanced infrastructure and ballooning debt are two sides of the same story, says Carnegie Endowment nonresident senior fellow Michael Pettis, who compares China’s coming consumption-led rebalancing to Japan’s in the 1980s. In conversation with Top1000funds.com Asia Pacific correspondent Darcy Song, Pettis unpacks what this means for institutional investors weighing China exposure over multi-decade horizons, and why he remains bearish on the country’s outlook.
GPIF puts passive managers at the forefront of corporate stewardship
Passive equity managers accounted for 62.6 per cent of the engagement activity conducted on behalf of Japan’s $1.86 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund last year, as the pension giant pushes index-tracking strategies to take on a bigger share of its stewardship load.
New Jersey’s $85 billion fund stockpiles cash, eyes PE secondaries
An underweight position across private markets, predicated on a view that geopolitics and inflation mean interest rates are not coming down any time soon, has positioned the New Jersey Division of Investment with plenty of dry powder and a cash position four times the policy allocation. It is now readying for opportunities in private equity secondaries and with emerging managers. Chief investment officer Shoaib Khan spoke to Top1000funds.com.
Beyond asset classes: Active credit becomes the test case for Florida’s portfolio evolution
Florida State Board of Administration has built an active credit portfolio spanning public and private markets, CIO Lamar Taylor says the initiative could be the first step in a broader shift away from traditional asset-class investing towards a framework centred on return drivers and risk exposures.
How private credit investors are preparing for software’s AI reckoning
As the private credit industry matures, the first real stress tests are emerging – from AI-exposed software loans to eroding covenants in megadeals. Institutional investors are responding by rethinking where the illiquidity premium justifies the risk.
The Asset Owner Directory is an interactive tool to give readers an insight into the world of global asset owners. It includes key information for the largest asset owners around the world such as key personnel, asset allocation and performance.
| Fund Name | Country | AUM ($B) | Articles | More Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) | Japan | $1,703 | 57 | View Info |
New Jersey Investment Division | United States | $84 | 8 | View Info |
Australian Retirement Trust | Australia | $226 | 25 | View Info |
Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) | Singapore | $936 | 42 | View Info |
The Austin advantage: Texas Teachers talks optimism, innovation and growth
Jase Auby, TRS’s celebrated CIO, explains why TPA doesn’t fit with its culture; why community push back on data centres could turn out to be an investor advantage, and argues the case for continuing to invest in fossil fuels. Top1000funds.com sat down with the CIO in his Austin office for an all-encompassing conversation.
Impact investing’s case for scale
Impact investing has come a long way in the past two decades, going from a niche strategy to a $1.5 trillion industry, but there are still challenges for it to reach institutional scale due to the lack of products and insufficient evidence of outperformance in some parts of the market.
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
The Fiduciary Investors Symposium at Stanford University celebrates the fast-moving change taking place in economies and communities and will examine the impact of innovation on our lives, workplaces and investments.
Fiduciary Investors Symposium
This event looks at the challenges long-term investors face in an environment of disruption including ongoing geopolitical risk and shifts in global economy dynamics. By accessing faculty of England’s most esteemed university, this event will leave investors empowered to tackle disruption in their portfolios and working lives.
La Caisse’s oil exit pays off as renewables portfolio pulls ahead of fossil fuels
Divesting from the oil sector has been a boon for La Caisse’s performance, as the Canadian pension giant says its energy investments have earned billions in value-add compared to the benchmark since the inception of its climate strategy. Head of sustainability Bertrand Millot unpacks the fund’s approach in an interview with Top1000funds.com.
Why Asian equities’ growth will outlast the AI-driven semiconductor cycle
In the latest episode of the Fiduciary Investors Series, Liao spoke with Top1000funds.com Asia Pacific correspondent Darcy Song on why the convergence of innovation, demographics and improving shareholder returns makes Asian equities an increasingly compelling diversification trade for asset owners navigating a geopolitically fractured world.
CPP Investments, NBIM reflect on lessons from a 5-year transparency journey
The Global Pension Transparency Benchmark has been a driving force in improved transparency of disclosures and reporting among global asset owners. As the project comes to its close after five years, two leading funds reflect on why transparency has been a clear focus for their organisations.
Falling dollar dents Canadian pension returns; triggers hedging rethink
A weakening US dollar has eaten into the returns of Canada’s largest pension funds as annual reports revealed the currency shock forced a fundamental rethink from some investors around hedging practices. OMERS has pivoted from a policy hedging target to a more flexible approach fulfilling multiple objectives, while OTPP more than halved its US dollar exposure in 2025.
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Ohio STRS warns of higher US recession risk; prioritises liquidity
The State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio has warned of a “material” increase in US recession risk compared to last year as the fund braces for a wider, “negatively skewed” distribution of outcomes in the next 12 months. It came as the mature plan, which is 81 per cent funded, is tilting to fixed income and new asset classes like liquid alternatives over equities.
Why sustainability pays for US timberland manager RMS
Alabama-based timber manager RMS has developed its own index to measure biodiversity in its forests. The move is in response to a jump in the number of asset owners asking biodiversity questions.
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