Alternative asset classes are expected to see the largest increase in fundraising in 2024, according to a survey of fund managers commissioned by Dublin-based third-party management firm Carne Group. The survey of 201 alternative assets, equity and fixed income fund managers in 10 countries that collectively manage $1.6tn, found that private equity was the asset class that fund managers expect to see the largest increase in fundraising in 2024. This was followed by renewable energy, hedge funds, private debt and real estate. Meanwhile, in a separate but related survey of 201 wealth managers a ..read more

By Joseph Latini, chief commercial officer, MUFG Investor Services   For several years, rising interest rates, inflation, and geopolitical uncertainty resulted in fewer deals, fewer exits, delayed distributions, and stalled fundraising across the private markets. Today, the alternatives industry is sitting on an unprecedented $3.9 trillion in unspent capital.  Fund managers are preparing for that wave of new investment by increasingly evaluating the most effective way to manage the operational challenges that come with the influx of new transactions and determining when to ..read more

Loan agency and bond trustee services provider Nordic Trustee has appointed Anatoly Sorin as its UK head. The newly created role will, the firm says, enable it to expand its UK Capital Markets offering as it builds its work as a bond trustee and loan agent in the Nordics and growing business in Germany. Sorin, who joins from GLAS where he was UK head, brings more than 20 years’ experience in financial services built up from roles at banks including US Bank, Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Lasalle.             The post Nordic Trustee appoints UK head appeared fi ..read more

Outflows persisted across most UK fund asset classes last month and equity strategies extended their losses, having not seen a quarter of net inflows since the third quarter of 2021. Morningstar’s monthly UK Fund Flows report for March, published today, also found that: Redemptions from passive strategies were less severe compared with active strategies; Global and US large-cap equity strategies attracted a combined inflow of £1.6 billion in March, though these were partially offset by slight outflows from value-orientated funds; Passive funds continue to dominate the top five inflows, with ..read more

Speed of deployment is the main obstacle to investing in renewables infrastructure, according to a survey of UK pension funds and insurers. The study, commissioned by real assets investment manager AlphaReal, solicited the views of 100 UK senior investment professionals in public and private pension funds and insurance firms which collectively manage £359.82 billion in AuM. When asked to name the top barriers to investing in renewable infrastructure, almost four-fifths (79%) of respondents selected putting their capital to work swiftly, while 70% selected policy and regulatory uncertainty.&nb ..read more

US-based exchange-traded product specialist WisdomTree has launched an ETF that seeks to track the performance of US large-cap high-growth companies. The US Quality Growth Ucits ETF (QGRW), which has a total expense ratio (TER) of 0.33%, lists today on Frankfurt’s Börse Xetra and Milan’s Borsa Italiana. From tomorrow it will list on the London Stock Exchange. The fund will follow WisdomTree’s proprietary US Quality Growth Ucits Index and aims to provide higher upside participation in bull markets and generate positive excess returns over a full market cycle. Pierre Debru, WisdomTree’s head of ..read more

Hedge funds kicked off 2024 with their “best quarter since the pandemic”, according to data from the Citco group of companies. Equity and multi-strategy funds led the charge, with a weighted average return of 7.3% across all strategies, building on 2023’s momentum. Equity funds topped the charts at 8.49%, followed by multi-strategy at 7.59% and event-driven at 4.03%. Other strategies like fixed income arbitrage, commodities and global macro also posted positive returns. Higher hedge fund activity and dwindling ‘greenium’ expected for sovereign bond markets Asset under Administration (AuA) cat ..read more

Pictet Alternative Advisors has launched a strategy offering investors access to “innovative environmental technology investments across private markets”. The fund, Pictet Private Assets SICAV – Environment Co-Investment Fund I Eltif, will target 20-25 investments, is based on Pictet’s network of relationships with private equity managers. The strategy launched by Pictet Group’s wholly owned alternative investment business incorporates the Planetary Boundaries framework, addressing urgent environmental challenges. According to the providers, with the earth exceeding six of nine boundarie ..read more

European ETF provider Tabula Investment Management Limited has launched an ESG-focused physical gold ETC, the first exchange-traded physical gold product to offer “full traceability of gold bars from mine to vault using a small number of named mines adhering to ESG standards”.  According to the providers, the offering, the SMO Physical Gold ETC, is the only physical gold ETC where each ounce comes from responsibly selected mines with high standards, they added. Each mine is independently audited for its positive impact on local communities. The gold is not of Russian origin, recycled fro ..read more

Cardano, the investment management and advisory business, has appointed Guinevere Taylor to the new role of head of Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) Relationships. Taylor has joined Cardano from RBC BlueBay Asset Management, where she spent the previous six years working in distribution, focusing predominantly on building awareness and market presence of RBC GAM-UK and latterly, RBC BlueBay Asset Management within the LGPS sector. LGPS launches climate change strategy Before her time with RBC BlueBay, she spent four years within the LGPS Relationship Team at Legal and General Investment ..read more