The Universities Superannuation Scheme the second largest pension fund in the UK, has committed $600m (€425m) to Boston, MA-based buyout firm Constitution Capital Partners to invest in North American mid-market private equity funds and direct co-investments. The pension fund will take a stake of around 10 per cent in CCP as part of the deal.

The State Street Private Equity Index posted its first quarterly contraction of IRR growth during the second quarter for 2008, confirming that the ongoing financial crisis is starting to affect the valuations of portfolio companies.

The ECB’s approach to rising inflation should ensure a swifter economic recovery than for the US and UK, writes Tom Beevers.

Investec Asset Management re-domiciled the 26 sub-funds in its Global Strategy Fund range from Guernsey to Luxembourg on July 1, as part of its bid to take its brand to European institutional investors. The move comes hot on the heels of a major mandate from the heart of Europe – a deal to run €1bn of global equities for Raiffeisen Capital Management.

A rising dollar and resurgent equities leaves the US in a better position than Europe, writes Andrew Tunks.

Pioneer Investments has belatedly entered the Irish institutional investment market, and aims to offer “solutions-led” mandates to pension funds. By Henry Smith.

Argentina may have got a bad press recently, but the country could offer a prime investment opportunity, writes Raphael Kassin.

Corporate bond managers have become cautiously bullish again – after getting caught out by central bank hawkishness over spring and summer. Investors are once again predicting loosening policy and a correction from spreads that are pricing-in unrealistic corporate default rates. By Martin Steward.

Despite current worries, Chinese equities look healthy over the long-term, writes William Fong.

The rapidly growing popularity of global equity mandates, particularly among UK pension funds, is contributing to a steady decline in the volume of UK equities under management.

Rising interest in alternative assets is not leading to increased allocations, writes Henry Smith.

Despite higher volatility, emerging market equities still offer great opportunities for the smart investor, writes Ben Clissold.

Laurent Bertiau is tasked with reviving SocGen’s fund sales, but turning things around will be as tough as anything he faced during his time in Asia, writes Yuri Bender.

A single global portfolio rather than several regional ones can prove the most efficient way to gain exposure to equity markets, writes Malcolm Kemp.

Société Générale Asset Management’s new CEO, Asia Pacific, Denis Lefranc believes that improving relations between Taiwan and the mainland will create huge opportunities for investors. By Peter Guest.

Barings’ investment philosophy has seen it avoid the worst of the credit volatility, and CIO Marino Valensise intends to keep treading carefully. By Nat Mankelow.

As western markets stutter and soaring industrial and consumer demand rockets in the east, emerging markets now look set to be by far the greatest contributor to global growth. With their sovereign and institutional wealth expanding, new actors on the world stage are altering the existing investment paradigm. By Peter Guest

Emerging market debt has always provided excellent diversification for traditional equity and bond portfolios, and the recent inflation spike reveals increasing diversification within the asset class itself. By Martin Steward.

The past 18 months have put paid to any remaining doubts about the benefits of diversifying real estate portfolios out of developed markets. But some emerging property markets may suit investors better than others. By Martin Steward.

After years in the doldrums, the once-dominant hedge fund strategy has been posting notable returns since the credit crisis. But do significant reversals in July and August raise questions about volatility and herding? By Martin Steward.

Institutional investors are aware of the economic growth taking place in the Gulf region and ETFs can provide an efficient way in. By Nat Mankelow.

With insurance companies failing to make substantial profits from their underwriting business, increasing returns from their investments has become vital. Firms are outsourcing assets as they seek expertise not available in-house. By Henry Smith.

Recoveries in UK banks, cyclicals, small-caps and leveraged businesses in the month since mid-July should not distract investors from the longer-term trends, say the managers of two very different UK large-cap strategies. By Martin Steward.

Amin Rajan, CEO of CREATE-Research on how fund administrators are delivering cost savings that add value to their clients’ investments.

Securities lending is now an integral part of institutional investment, and confidence is high that the industry will continue to see steady growth despite current market conditions and widespread criticism of short-selling practices. By Nat Mankelow.

Like other parts of the financial markets, the ongoing credit crisis has left its mark on the securities lending industry. Brown Brothers Harriman provides insight into its impact and what the long term consequences might be. By Mark Payson.

As Europe’s settlement players tentatively back the Target 2 Securities initiative, the diverging paths taken by central securities depositories in Scandinavia and the failure of the consolidated Nordic marketplace demonstrate the difficulties that will be faced in pan-European harmonisation. By Peter Guest.

The launch of the Dow Jones EURO STOXX 50 Index Dividend Future by Eurex opens up a range of opportunities for the institutional investor, writes Byron Baldwin.

A new breed of internet research technology is freeing equity analysts and stockpickers from the noise and chatter of the web, enabling them to explore underserved markets and, gradually, is engendering a realisation that what happens online can provide valuable fundamental information. By Peter Guest.

The increasing use of OTC derivatives in the institutional investment arena creates challenges for asset managers, writes Ronan Cossec.