istockAnalyst.com – The Securities and Exchange Commission unanimously endorsed the proposal amid widening investigations of so-called pay-to-play donations by private equity and hedge fund executives who jockey for lucrative fees to manage some of the more than $2.2 trillion in assets held by public pension funds.

"The selection of investment advisers to manage public plans should be based on merit and the best interests of the plans and their beneficiaries, not the payment of kickbacks or political favors," SEC Chair Mary Schapiro says.

Read Complete Article

Tags: assets, beneficiaries, donations, hedge fund, investigations, investment advisers, jockey, kickbacks, mary schapiro, proposal, public-pension-funds, securities-and-exchange, securities-and-exchange-commission, trillion

Reuters – The California Public Employees’ Retirement System (Calpers), which manages $169 billion in public pension funds, may boost its private-equity investments by around 40 percent as slumping markets create some acquisition bargains.

Calpers’ board next week is scheduled to vote on a plan that would increase the fund’s target for corporate buyout and venture-capital investments to 14 percent from 10 percent.

Spokesman Clark McKinley said the fund’s $22.8 billion of such investments has jumped to 13 percent as the sinking value of stocks and other assets reduced the size of the overall fund.

Read Complete Article

Tags: acquisition, assets, bargains, california public employees, california public employees retirement, california public employees retirement system, calpers, corporate buyout, employees retirement system, mckinley, private equity investments, public employees retirement, public-employees-retirement-system, public-pension-funds, reuters, spokesman, stocks, target, venture-capital-investments

West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net)- Winners of Alternative Investment News’ 6th Annual Hedge Fund Industry Awards were announced on Wednesday evening June 25th at a black-tie dinner and ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. The awards recognized hedge funds, fund of funds, consultants, endowments, foundations and corporate and public funds that stood out for excellence in alternatives investing during the year.

Nearly 500 leaders and luminaries from every facet of the industry were in attendance to see winners announced and awarded ‘Oscar-Style’. Michael Steinhardt, a pioneer in the hedge fund world, and Phil Goldstein, Founder of Bulldog Investments were in attendance to accept their respective awards for Lifetime Achievement and Outstanding Contribution to the Industry.

Winners were awarded in nine other categories, and included Paulson & Co. for Hedge Fund Leader.

Also recognized and awarded were the 2008 Rising Stars of Hedge Funds, 20 up-and-coming, talented young professionals poised to be future leaders of the industry.

This year’s award winners were as follows:

Hedge Fund Leader of the Year:
Paulson & Co.

Fund of Hedge Funds Leader of the Year:
Harcourt Investment Consulting

Emerging Manager of the Year:
Algebris Investments

Hedge Fund Launch of the Year:
AdultVest

Institutional Manager of the Year:
The Blackstone Group

Public Fund Investor of the Year:
Teacher Retirement System of Texas

Corporate Pension Fund of the Year:
Railway Pension Trustee Company

Nonprofit Investor of the Year:
Texas Christian University

Hedge Fund Consultant of the Year:
Jaeson Dubrovay, NEPC

Editing by Alex Akesson
Email: alex@hedgeco.net

HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds!
Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com

Tags: boston, due-diligence-service, fraud-insurance, institutional-investor-magazine, investment-partners, merrill, prison-term, public-pension-funds, self-regulation, three-times