| From across the nation and around the world, INSIGHTS-edge brings you news, commentary and research in key areas of interest regarding ESG, Sovereign Wealth Funds and US Public Sector Pension Funds. We watch the watchers...who are watching you. ESG / Sustainability Top ESG infra stocks post better returns
(Source: Financial Standard) Listed infrastructure companies with high environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings beat companies in the same sector by more than 20 per cent over three years, according to a new report. Colonial First State Global Asset Management (CFS GAM) rates each infrastructure company out of a possible 15, with four being a low ESG score and 13 representing a highly rated stock. Standing Room Only at Inaugural SmartView Roundtable on Sustainable Investing at NASDAQ Market Site
(Source: Governance & Accountability Institute) CRD Analytics, in collaboration with partnering organizations, the NASDAQ OMX and Governance & Accountability Institute and special guest, the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), on Friday May 14th hosted the inaugural SmartView Roundtable for Sustainable Investing. The venue was an invitation-only event for over 125 senior corporate leaders and professionals from the sustainability and investment community. Sustainability Faceoff: J.P. Morgan Chase vs. Bank of America
(Source: Fast Company) Can big banks ever be sustainable? The numerous government loans funneled to the largest banks in the U.S. indicate that entities like J.P. Morgan Chase and Bank of America might not be completely economically sustainable, but they are at least making strides in other types of sustainability. Author and investment adviser R. Paul Herman compares these two banks in the new book The HIP Investor. Below, we do the same. Volcanic Eruption in Iceland Reminds Companies to Prepare for Supply Chain Disasters or Else
(Source: Earth Times) INSIGHT, Inc., a top international provider of supply chain planning solutions for the world's foremost companies, announces that in an age of lengthening supply chains serving globe-spanning operations, the recent volcanic eruption in Iceland is yet another example of why it is critical to identify supply chain vulnerabilities and develop mitigating strategies. Sovereign Wealth Funds Sovereign Wealth Fund Transactions Highlight Global Recovery and New Approaches to Risk Management in Investing
(Source: BusinessWire) CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Monitor Group, one of the world’s leading advisory and consulting firms, and Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei (FEEM), a leading international research center based in Milan, Italy, has released its annual Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) report, entitled, Back on Course: Sovereign Wealth Fund Activity in 2009, which analyzes SWF transactions during the year. Gulf wealth funds may cut inv'ts in the West - Al Suwaidi
(Source: Arabian Business.com) UAE central bank governor Sultan Bin Nasser Al Suwaidi, whose country is home to one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, said sovereign wealth funds may become more “passive” investors in the West and may stop investing in Western companies altogether. He spoke at a conference in Dubai late Monday. Qatar Said to Mull Treasury’s Citi Shares
(Source: NY Times) The Qatar Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund, has displayed interest in acquiring some of the stake in Citigroup owned by the United States Treasury , The Financial Times said,, citing people familiar with the matter. |
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US Public Sector Pension Funds Losing $2 Billion: "Hard Day" for Pension Fund Officer
(Source: Elliott Wave International) After the Dow closed down 376 points on that day, the chief investment officer of a major state pension fund talked with CNBC. After the interviewer noted the fund had assets of $204 billion, the manager replied, "You said 204 in the intro... It's 202 now, so $2 billion in a day. It's a hard day. It's a hard day." He went on to mention, "We're just under 2% cash... we're overweight still a little bit in global equity and fixed income." Transparency for the Public Sector
(Source: New York Times) Be warned. I am about to ignore a wise rule of my wife’s (I call it Nancy’s Law), which stipulates that three of the most mind-numbing words in the English language are unfunded pension liability. I am recklessly charging into this domain of dullness because government pensions are already a problem, and the fiscal crisis currently facing states and cities will only make things worse. CalPERS retreats on request for more taxpayer funds
(Source: Los Angeles Times) Facing political fire, the state's largest public pension fund Wednesday retreated for a month from a plan to approve a $700-million increase in taxpayer contributions it gets from the state and about 1,000 school districts. State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, a member of the California Public Employees' Retirement System board, said the fund needs to assess the consequences of the huge hike on California at a time when the state faces an estimated $19-billion budget deficit. Watching the Watchers  New York State Common Retirement Fund
Location: Albany, New York
Established: 1967, during Administration of Governor Nelson Rockefeller
Estimated asset base: USD$154 billion (as of December 2008) OVERVIEW / MISSION:
The New York State Common Retirement Fund (CRF) holds assets for over one million members participating in two retirement systems: the Police and Fire Retirement System (PFRS) and the New York State Employees’ Retirement System (ERS). CRF’s 2008 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report noted that, together, the two systems -- known collectively as the New York State and Local Retirement System -- are the second largest in the United States in terms of participants (behind California, the largest) and the third largest in terms of total asset value. |
