Fabian Thehos, the co-chief investment officer of the Wellcome Trust, has warned about the growing level of concentration in the US market - particularly around tech - and he explains to AOX what the trust is doing about it

Evolving governance requirements around private transactions, such as the EU’s 2024 package of anti-money laundering regulations, are steering families towards more institutional investment practices

China, Taiwan and South Korea have driven the MSCI Emerging Markets index to deliver double-digit returns and outpace the MSCI World index which has prompted European asset owners to look at these opportunities

A combination of Donald Trump’s pestering and nervousness about America’s reliability as an ally - including concern Greenland might follow the fate of Venezuela - has prompted European nations to increase the amount they spend on defence. Does that mean asset owners view defence as an attractive investment opportunity? And could it even be defined as an ESG asset?

Around the world, asset owners are finding alternatives increasingly attractive, with one exception: North America, where fixed income is increasingly the flavour of the month

As the UK government pushes for pension scheme consolidation, dreaming of economies of scale and a dearth of domestic private investment, we look at the Netherlands and Australia for clues as to what that might look like

Outgoing New York City comptroller Brad Lander has told the city’s pension systems to fire BlackRock over its climate track record. This has not gone down well with the world’s largest asset manager

The UK’s Financial Conduct Authority has published proposed rules on cryptoassets which it says are the most comprehensive regime globally

The growing need for green infrastructure in the UK and across Europe is driving large-scale investors like Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global and the Australian-owned IFM Investors into projects - with family offices also joining the party

Appetite for hedge funds has been strongest among European asset owners, so far in 2025, while those in other regions seem less keen

Brazil’s family offices are moving in the opposite direction of their North American peers. While US investors pile into private credit and AI-driven growth, Brazilian wealth managers are building buffers, expanding exposure to fixed income, tax-exempt bonds, and government bonds

Many US asset owners are crowding into sectors which have seen strong demand: medical offices, self-storage and care homes and are wary of traditional office space

Nvidia, which makes the chips which power AI and which is at the forefront of the boom, has seen its share price go up 290 per cent over the past two years, leaving most market indices in the dust. So does that mean a bubble is forming?

Steve Hodder, a partner at LCP, said the proportion of the gilt market owned by defined benefit schemes was “quite frightening” - particularly given the number of DB schemes closing and the large amount of buy-out activity

According to Antonina Scheer of the Transition Pathway Initiative, one of the big wins of the COP30 summit was the lack of backsliding on climate finance after the US pulled out of the Paris Agreement

Increasing running costs, turbulent global markets and declining voluntary incomes are putting charitable organisations under more financial pressure than ever, driving them to rethink the role of their investment portfolios

State Street has described the current environment as a “Goldilocks” scenario for emerging market debt with the US dollar in a slump and the Federal Reserve expected to cut rates

People’s Pension, which runs £38bn in assets, is aiming to align its investments with the Paris Agreement goal of keeping global warning below 1.5C but some US asset managers are pivoting away from ESG investments

Asset managers will need to demonstrate a commitment to good governance as defined contribution master trusts consolidate in time for 2030, according to Jonathan Lipkin, director for policy, strategy and innovation at the Investment Association.

The Northern Ireland Local Government Officers’ Superannuation Committee is weighing return potential against environmental concerns following its recent switch to an emerging market equity tracker fund.