The Society of Actuaries and Pension Governance, LLC has released a new research report that explores current pension risk management practices. The 69-page study by Susan Mangiero looks at the responses of 162 retirement plan decision-makers in the United States and Canada. In answering broad questions, a majority of surveyed plan sponsors describe themselves as doing all the right things […]

“I’m confident in the long run this economy will come back.” – U.S. President George W. Bush. “By restricting flows of credit to households, businesses, and state and local governments, the turmoil in financial markets and the funding pressures on financial firms pose a significant threat to economic growth.” – Bernanke. “I believe a forum to decide on big changes […]

I have been reading the somewhat lengthy (aprox.250 pages) Global Future Analysis report by the Planck Foundation, I’ll try to do a short(ish) review. “It has been said that there are three types of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened,” it says on the cover of the report.  The […]

Interesting article here about Nigeria, and an inpending oil war. I came across this interesting tidbit on a Lehman insider. There are some common questions and answers here on the Future of Hedge Funds. In order to calculate quantitative statistics automatically and generate printed marketing materials on the fly, this Hedge Fund Calculator may come in handy. The calculator also […]

The Council of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) admited Korea’s regulatory and supervisory authorities as the latest members of the IFSB. The admission of the two Korean authorities, together with other new members has increased the IFSB membership to 175. Some of the newly admitted members: 1. Financial Services Commission & Financial Supervisory Service, Korea 2. Khaleeji Commercial Bank […]

I discontinued my writing since the launch of the fund in order to focus on fund raising and managing the portfolio. Since I’m so disenchanted about the stock market’s response to the Freddie and Fannie bailout I had to write about it. I’ve decided to tip-toe through some of our theories about today’s financial rally and dollar rally. It is […]

Interesting story here by DanFonds on frontier markets; ‘Ecobank’s USD 2.5bn capital raising begins today.‘ And here by Seth Berlin; ‘Does Mimicking behavior lead to market crashes?‘ Finaly, Avalon Capital Holdings Corporation has initiated alpha testing of its proprietary ECN system for the Forex market. The system will be ideal, Avalon says, for traders seeking to execute large orders of […]

I found it quite difficult to find a hotspot in Copenhagen. I was actually off-line for 48 hours, the longest ever! I’m back now after alot of photography and some interesting insights from some of the top players in the emerging frontier market funds. I’m hoping to recieve some tips and news of the launch (which is as of now, confidential) […]

In a letter from Michael Gray, head of the fund formation and investment management practice at Neal Gerber Eisenberg, LLP., I received some expert commentary on the subject of how hedge funds and other alternative investors are stepping in to fill the financing gap on everything from private equity deals to real estate. With banks sitting on the sidelines, Gray points […]

Can’t invest in them? Join ’em. That’s the sentiment of some hedge funds when it comes to loans. While hedge funds have traditionally been the investors of corporate loans, the credit environment has spurred some to take on the role of lender as well. Hedge funds with cash reserves are issuing loans to small to mid-sized companies based on their […]