This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

This article appears courtesey of Institutional Investor

Independent consultants, a fixture of the defined benefit business but now an increasingly large part of the subadvisory market, are leaning toward recommending small boutique firms for subadvisory mandates.

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

Two emerging fund trusts operated by subsidiaries of JPMorgan and F&C Asset Management are talking about merging their forces to produce what reportedly would be one of the largest funds in the sector, Reuters reports.

Clifford Asness, managing and founding principal of AQR Capital Management, believes hedge fund managers should reexamine the way lockup provisions are applied. An inherent problem with lockups is that a manager can earn money from a performance fee one year and then be down the next with investors locked in, said Asness.

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

RBC Dain Rauscher launched a fee-based non-discretionary managed account program, dubbed RBC Advisor, last month at its annual symposium in St Louis, Minn. In the following weeks, product teams and managers will speak at various branches to describe the platform, part of the firm's Fund Advisory Service, said Ann Senne, recently named director of Investment Consulting Services.

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

Light Green Advisors, a Seattle-based investment advisor to several socially responsible managed accounts portfolios, is planning a registered fund that follows the firm's environmentally sensitive perspective.

Mirant's bonds traded up 10 points on an upbeat view of the company's performance post-bankruptcy and speculation it could be an acquisition target.

European pension funds are set to increasingly use derivatives in their real estate portfolios as they become more aware of disadvantages to direct property, said Nick Tyrell, director of research at JPMorgan Asset Management's European real estate team.

The South African securitization market is expected to see strong growth in 2006. After two flat years, there has been a pickup in activity this year­issuance for the first half of 2005 has been around ZAR8.2 billion ($1.4 billion), more than double the figure of ZAR3.8 billion ($650 million) for the same period in 2004.

This article appears courtesy of Institutional Investor

As 2005 enters the fourth quarter, it appears that several subindices of the big hedge fund indices are heading for a boffo finish. Overall, the S&P Hedge Index inched up just 0.97% for September and 2.42% for the year—which, at this rate will be hard pressed to reach the 7% to 9% that observers forecast.