Muzinich & Co has launched a socially responsible high yield bond fund. The fund will invest in US dollar denominated bonds issued by companies with strong environmental, sustainable and governance policies as well as solid creditworthiness and quantitative attractiveness. Josh Hughes, director of institutional sales at the firm, said the fund would offer attractive returns with the added benefit of having a positive impact on the environment.

The absence of a domestic pension fund base and the collapsing wealth of Russia’s oligarchs have left serious liquidity shortages in both long-only and alternative investments, according to Moscow-based money managers.

Now may be a good time to start investing in private equity, writes Dr Katharina Lichtner.

The appetite for government debt from investors is as strong ever, despite fears that a huge rise in issuance could swamp the market after new plans to rescue banks was announced.

Before any meaningful economic recovery can take place in the US, housing prices must stabilise, writes Scott Simon.

Investors remain nervous about equity and bond funds preferring the safety of money market funds, though financials have enjoyed their first inflows in months. By Spencer Anderson.

There are some very attractive valuations among Latin American companies for investors with a long-term view, writes José Costa Buck.

Baring Asset Management has called for an immediate suspension of pensions accounting standard, FRS17, following the Bank of England's announcement that it is going to buy up to £150bn (€167bn) of government and corporate debt in a bid to stimulate the UK economy through “quantitative easing”.

Asia ex Japan economies are in strong fiscal positions and should be among the first to recover, writes Hiroshi Yoh.

Allianz Global Investors has postponed part of its expansion into Scandinavia, despite a profitable year.

Institutional investors must do more to ensure that large payouts to those whose actions destroy shareholder value become a thing of the past, writes Henry Smith.

Pension fund trustees should be getting properly independent advice, writes Patrick McCoy, but is this the case?

In offloading its long-only business to Aberdeen Asset Management in return for shares in the company, Credit Suisse has a vested interest in a successful takeover and will need to reassure clients to stay where they are, writes Yuri Bender.

Too many fund managers are not able to easily calculate their counterparty exposure, but this need not be the case, writes John Mayr.

Ricardo Manrique, the new CEO at Stoxx, believes that the correct approach to the financial crisis is to take advantage of the opportunities that it offers rather than trying to ‘hunker down’. By Nat Mankelow.

Jeffrey Molitor at Vanguard Global Investors believes that a key part of any strategy for dealing with sovereign wealth funds is to treat each one individually, and that calls for greater transparency are likely to fall on deaf ears. By Spencer Anderson.

Anne Richards discusses the motives behind Aberdeen Asset Management’s purchase of parts of Credit Suisse’s global investors business, and how she believes that there is value to be found in Asian markets. By Spencer Anderson.

Pension funds are able to take a longer term strategic view than most investors, but with assets under management suffering alarming falls in 2008 and more of the same likely this year, will they stick to their guns or decide to change their asset allocations? By Spencer Anderson.

Pfandbrief banks are losing out as government-guaranteed bonds are proving very attractive to investors. But the covered bond market is confident that there will always be an appetite for their products among those with a longer term outlook. By Nat Mankelow.

The crisis in the banking sector has led to calls for remuneration to be carried out in an intelligent and accountable manner, but issues such as climate change and forced labour should not be forgotten in these times of financial turmoil. By Henry Smith.

The financial crisis has proven asset allocation a challenge and confirmed investors’ need for diversification. Active management of structured investments can accomplish these two goals at the same time, say Emmanuel Naim and Fabrice Tenga.

Asia-ex Japan equity funds have suffered huge redemptions over the past 12 months, but the funds that fared the best followed conservative strategies that focused on high quality companies with less leverage. By Spencer Anderson.

Hedge fund platforms can provide the independent oversight that may reassure investors and prove cost-effective, but can they provide a long-term solution or are they best suited to new start-ups? By Henry Smith.

The Lehman blowout left big credit investors like hedge funds with highly- leveraged portfolios stuffed full of hard-to-value instruments. But if the tools for valuing these complex assets and the risk management systems supporting the process had been better, things might have been different. By Nat Mankelow.

Pension fund trustees are demanding more detailed and more frequent updates from their asset managers, and these must be delivered in a language that the clients can understand. By Nat Mankelow.

The dire economic situation towards the end of 2008 saw asset-servicers battening down the hatches, but now the institutions have to convince their clients that they provide a safe haven in these troubled times. By Gerry O'Kane.

There are huge opportunities in private equity, but can boutique houses offer the services and security that are in demand? By Gerry O'Kane.

Asset servicers with multiple sources of income are managing to weather the credit crunch, but what does the future hold for asset managers who have outsourced their back and middle office functions if their partners run into trouble?

The asset servicing industry is having to respond to demands for greater efficiency when carrying out over-the-counter derivatives transactions, and partnerships with external services firms provide an effective solution. By Kalpana Fitzpatrick.

Target2-Securities promises to clear up the fragmentation issues that have hampered Europe’s post-trade clearing and settlement arena. But the platform remains a long way from completion and are there other options available? By Rekha Menon.

Catherine Brady, managing director, head of investor services EMEA, Global Transaction Services, explains how focusing on client relationships has helped Citi to perform well during the current market turmoil.

Fund managers’ desire to concentrate on their core activities during the financial crisis means plenty of outsourcing possibilities for administrators. By Kalpana Fitzpatrick.