The $127bn pension fund saw its real estate investments return just 8.7% in the year to June 30, 2008 – against a benchmark of more than 10%. Despite its underperformance, real estate remained the strongest asset class for the pension during turbulent market conditions.
Fortress' and Blackstone’s second quarter earnings results offer a glimpse into how firms are responding to a slowing fundraising pace, writes Matt Levin.
The fund of funds is actively focusing on real estate in Asia as it plans to boost its investments in unlisted real estate funds generally. The firm will also raise new Asia property funds. According to new Asia Pacific head, Martin Lamb, the next 10 years will be the “decade of investing in Asia."
The real estate arm of the US pension fund and asset manager is targeting commercial real estate opportunities in the UK and Europe with its first international office. Former Invesco retail executive Paul Wilson will lead the effort.
The European mid-market firm has turned its attention to Central and Eastern Europe with the secondary buyout of a Polish manufacturer of rail freight buffers from Advent. The region is becoming a private equity hotspot, but IK will be proceeding with care.
The Norwegian private equity firm has exceeded its original target of €225m for Norvestor V after seven months of marketing.
The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation is seeking up to three private equity and real estate advisors to manage its new $5.5bn alternatives ‘pot’. The pension fund, which represents 44 million US citizens, is branching out into alternatives in a bid to reduce its $14bn deficit.
Alternative asset classes were the $154bn New York State Common Retirement Fund’s top performers for fiscal 2007, with real estate returning almost 15 percent. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli has indicated legal limits on the pension’s alternative investments should be revisited.
China's securities regulator has reportedly given approval to two more securities firms to invest directly in private equity. Roughly $1.5bn in government-backed private equity funds were also reportedly approved.
Just months after its Euronext-traded Carlyle Capital fund folded, the private equity firm is shutting down an affiliated hedge fund. It backed away from its previous hedge fund strategy, a fund of hedge funds, in 2003.