Railpen talks risks and opportunities in trade upheaval
Investing in currencies and long short equity strategies are two of the opportunities that the UK’s £34 billion Railpen has been exploring in the current volatile environment.
Texas politicians reinstate BlackRock as manager’s ties to the state grow
Public funds in Texas can work with BlackRock once again after legislators removed it from a blacklist of companies accused of “boycotting” the oil and gas industry. The decision comes as Texas’s administration found alignment with the asset manager which backed key economic initiatives including the Texas Stock Exchange.
Dutch insurer NN flags loose lending and copious capital in private credit
Marieke van Kamp, head of private markets at Dutch insurer NN, flags growing risks in private credit. In an interview with Top1000funds.com, she also outlines NN’s partnership model with managers and argues the case for sustainable real estate.
Behind Norges’ search for pure alpha
Despite uncertainties, Norges Bank is tipping that the US stock market will continue to outperform Europe in the next two decades. The mammoth fund also explained how it carved out a $90 billion pure alpha portfolio from passive investments, overseen only by 8 portfolio managers.
Future AI winners will command hardware, training data power
The current versions of AI are helpful at the “partial automation” of tasks, but the last mile of training to reach “full automation” will come with a dramatic escalation of costs. For investors who want to place their capital most effectively, there are some ways to spot an AI winner.
US-China war the only real threat to portfolios: Kotkin
The second Trump administration has given investors plenty to worry about – tax changes, tariffs and diplomatic chaos among other concerns. But geopolitics expert Stephen Kotkin said the only real danger that will obliterate any portfolio is an US-China war.
