Reuters – The nation’s second-largest pension fund, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), said it was sticking by a medium-term plan to double exposure to alternative assets such as hedge funds and private equity.
The 23 billion pound pension scheme confirmed the target as it announced its first appointment to a new hedge funds team on Monday.
USS currently has 10 percent exposure to alternatives, making it already one of the more adventurous UK pension funds.
Its plan to increase that to 20 percent, coupled with specific move to boost hedge fund investment, will be comfort to an industry which struggled with poor performance and heavy outflows during a turbulent 2008.
"We believe that the current turmoil in the hedge fund industry represents a compelling investment opportunity for investors like USS who are able to take the long-term view," said USS’s head of alternative assets Michael Powell.
There have been fears that conservative long-term investors such as pension schemes could be put off future allocations to hedge funds.
