Most fiduciary investors underweight emerging markets. This is because when they talk about an “investable” universe, they really mean whatever’s “easy to invest in”, argues Jerome Booth, head of research at Ashmore Investment Management. The recipient of China’s first post-Communist asset sale to a foreign investor, Booth recommends investors take the radical step of investing 50 per cent of their total portfolios into emerging markets, via both listed and unlisted markets.
The global financial crisis has underscored the importance of being able to analyse the risk and return characteristics of all investments, but in particular alternatives and unlisted assets. Greg Bright spoke with Christopher Ward, vice president of Boston-based State Street Investment Analytics, about recent trends.
The world’s currency markets are going through their biggest upheaval for almost 40 years since the fixed-rate exchanges started to end for Western countries. Currency expert, Ronald Leisching, of US-based Mountain Pacific Group, has studied the likely scenarios for pension funds and how they can cope in the new environment.
The $260 billion National Pension Scheme of Korea plans to double both its international fixed-income and international equities exposures in the next four years. According to Ha-Young Kim, head of institutional networks and communications at the NPS, it is part of a survival plan for the fund for 49 million Koreans. Amanda White reports.
Mercer Investment Consulting has boosted its pan-Asian capabilities by shifting its regional head from Sydney to Singapore and with a plan to expand its Mercer Sentinel implementation unit.
With an enormous portfolio that includes management of 1 per cent of the world’s equities, the NOK2.7 trillion (US$431 billion) Norges Bank Investment Management, recently did a study examining the role of active management. Amanda White spoke to chief strategic relations officer, Dag Dyrdal (pictured).