Gold trounces currencies

With gold breaking through $1,000 (e668) an ounce, investors should now be looking to switch from mining companies to gold bullion to capture some of the commodities bubble and reduce exposure to currencies, according to Percival Stanion, head of asset allocation at Baring Asset Management.

Private equity giant Kohlberg Kravis and Roberts (KKR) intends to open an office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in the near future.

Yield rates in the UK and Europe remain static and a rise in the short term looks unlikely, writes

Dennis Gepp.

The $8.2bn (€5.4bn) State General Reserve Fund of the Sultanate of Oman, a sovereign wealth fund (SWF), has awarded a $300m Russian real estate mandate to international financing group VTB Capital.

Earnings are gathering momentum and driving the market forward, writes Seung Minn.

The rise of middle class spending is driving wealth expansion in many African nations and transforming the continent into a regional private equity investment centre.

The economic condition of Latin America, when set next to its European and US counterparts, is glowing, writes Jerome Booth.

European money market funds could be a step closer to agreeing on a definition for their flagship products, meaning better protection for buyers that don’t realise funds can hold the same credit and liquidity risks of any other investment instruments.

Domestic demand and state intervention boosted Asia’s economies, writes Khim Tan.

Hedge funds are continuing to charge high fees despite pressure from investors to lower their costs.

Pension fund trustees are “simply switching off” in the face of growing investment complexity, according to Chris Edge, chief executive at AllenbridgeEPIC Investment Advisers.

Trustees must learn to trust again, but with a watchful eye, as pressures to up risk and diversify grow post-crisis, writes Henry Smith.

European assets under management are receiving a welcome boost from exchange traded products, writes Nizam Hamid.

To truly help Africa reach its potential, the world must view it less as a continent-sized charity case and more in line with its reality as a key growth region.

Despite a no-show from regional SWFs at a recent Saudi conference, asset managers had a lot to say about investor confidence and hunger for cash.

Are industry renowned ‘investment gurus’ really worth their weight in assets, asks Yuri Bender, or has ‘The Lang Approach’ had its hey-day?

Diversification is common sense in that it naturally reduces investment risk, but there is a limit to its benefits, writes Andrew Clare.

AP1’s CEO Johan Magnusson explains why the fund is reducing its active management in favour of strategic asset allocation, and discusses the difficult role of Sweden’s national buffer funds.

2008 was not the best year for Ireland’s National Pensions Reserve Fund, but its investment directors are keen to learn from the crisis to protect the fund from future volatility.

A third quarter boost in capital inflows to hedge funds has buoyed one of the global financial meltdown’s most infamous industries, writes Henry Smith.

Pension funds were riding the wave of funding success on the other side of the pond until the global financial crisis hit, and consequently have had to completely rethink their investment strategies for the future.

The high yield bond market is showing vital signs in the fourth quarter despite flatlining in 2008. Nat Mankelow investigates.

Nordic pension funds are turning to riskier fixed income asset classes to plug funding gaps left by the financial crisis. Gill Wadsworth investigates.

Paul Scanlon discusses the continued improvement of the high yield market following a devastating 2008.

Though bond recovery has rocketed so far this year, industry experts are playing performance down and predicting more muted growth. Lisa Coleman notes the key trends investors should look out for in the coming months.

Flow derivatives are catching the attention of large investors due to their liquidity. But what was once primarily a hedging tool is now becoming a much more attractive investment opportunity in its own right.

ETFs are making strong moves into Asia, with Taiwan, Singapore and China clamouring to access the world’s most liquid equity markets.

With the index fund market overloaded, competition is intense and providers have had to widen the search for new opportunities.

The effects of the financial downturn are still being felt by the transition management industry, but can it weather the storm to meet the constant demand from pension funds needing to make major changes?

The popularity of fiduciary management in the Netherlands has led many providers to believe the UK could also benefit from their third-party services. But handing over investment responsibility is a huge step for many schemes.

If 2008 was the year when triple A liquidity funds met rising redemptions with plain vanilla products, are we now seeing a return to risk, despite some funds claiming to be ‘asset-backed free’, as yields cling near zero per cent?

The technology sector goes way beyond its core and can overlap with several others, which broadens the opportunities available to fund managers. Computer software firms are currently a hot tip, while some remain wary of green tech.