Why West Virginia’s CIO is worried about its China divestment directive

The $28 billion West Virginia Investment Management Board will divest from Chinese state-owned companies and CIO Craig Slaughter has reservations about the decision. He outlines in an interview with Top1000funds.com about why the directive is an extension of a big threat facing investors: a decline in liberal democracy. 

TRS strikes gold: Tiny allocation crushes its benchmark

This year, TRS doubled its tiny allocation to gold via a special fund that buys gold ETFs and mining companies. The strategy returned nearly 60 per cent, thanks to market conditions including inflation, geopolitics, government debt levels and de-dollarisation pushing gold higher.

Private asset funds are no longer fit-for-purpose

The surging interest in generative AI has triggered a technological arms race, driving demand for data centres. Investors are looking to capitalise on what is often described as a generational opportunity, but as Blue Owl’s James Clarke cautions, there are several important factors to assess in partners for the long-term.

PRI slashes reporting burden to preserve code relevance among signatories

The Principles for Responsible Investment will reduce signatories’ responsibilities in their annual mandatory reporting from 240 questions to just 40 next year. The outgoing PRI chief David Atkin explains the move and why asset owners have a big role in stabilising the discussion around responsible investment.