Alternative Investments Icon

Alternative Investments

The global alternative investment space now sits at more than $9 trillion in global assets, and we’re just getting started. Roughly 40% of RIAs are using alternative investments. With the RIA space expanding and alternative investment demand rising among investors – a surge in data, news, and opinion will continue. This channel cuts through the noise to give you the most important actionable insight.

Top Story

Alternative Investments/ESG: SP Funds Unveils Shariah-Compliant Global Tech ETF

December 5, 2023

SP Funds has expanded its suite of Sharia-compliant funds with the launch of The SP Funds S&P Global Technology ETF (SPTE) on the New York Stock Exchange. As North America’s largest family of Shariah-compliant exchange-traded funds (ETFs), SP Funds aims to provide investors access to cutting-edge technological advancements through SPTE.

Read More...

Get Daily Updates

Subscribe to DailyAlts Today to get Alternative Investment news, insight, and commentary delivered straight to your inbox every day.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

More Stories on Alternative Investments

Revisiting the End of an Era at Blackstone Group

September 4, 2019

The departure of Bennett Goodman will reverberate across the company for years. The Bennett Goodman era comes to a close as the co-founder of GSO Capital Partners is stepping down. Along with J. Albert Smith III and Douglas Ostrover, Goodman founded GSO in 2005 and sold the operations to Blackstone in 2010. During that time,…

BlackRock Hires

People on the Move: Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan, Close Brothers, and KKR

September 3, 2019

Marty Chavez Will Depart Goldman Sachs after 19 Years at the Wall Street Titan People on the Move for September 4, 2019 The big news today is the announcement that co-head of Goldman Sachs’ securities division Marty Chavez is departing the company. Chavez served briefly as CFO last year and was considered a candidate to…

CalSTRs

CalSTRs Bets Big on Private Equity in H1 2019

August 30, 2019

Blackstone receives a big sum from the nation’s second-largest public pension fund. CalSTRs is doubling down on private equity investments. The retirement pension fund manages $241.3 billion for teachers and other public beneficiaries. The group also invested $5.5 billion across 30 different private equity vehicles, according to the Wall Street Journal’s review of its documents….

Google parent Alphabet forays into ‘tech-enabled infrastructure’ with Ontario Teachers

August 30, 2019

Alphabet, its subsidiary Sidewalk Labs LLC, and Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan join in setting up an infrastructure holding company
The new firm, Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners (SIP), will invest in projects over $100 million in value in the fields of advanced mobility, energy, water and waste, digital infrastructure, and social infrastructure.

Blackstone

Alto Receives Seed Funding from Family Office

August 29, 2019

Alto wrapped up a $5.4 million seed fund round led by led by Jefferson River Capital, the family office of Tony James, Executive Vice Chairman of Blackstone
Also participating in the lead was Moment Ventures, a Palo Alto-based venture capital firm.
Other seed-round investors were Foundation Capital, Sequoia’s Scout Fund, and Amplify.LA.

Preqin Survey

Preqin Survey: Alternatives investors wary of ‘toppy’ markets

August 27, 2019

According to the Preqin Investor Update on Alternative Assets H2 2019, a rising number of investors believe that equity markets are at a top and likely to correct
Preqin, the data provider specializing in alternative assets, surveyed 177 institutional investors in July 2019 to gauge investor sentiment across various alternative asset classes.
According to the report, investment enthusiasm for alternative assets remains undiminished, with industry AUM at $9.5 trillion as at end-2018. Though investors’ outlook on the future performance of alternatives remains optimistic, this may not last.

The 30-Year Bond Yield Falls Below the S&P 500 Dividend Yield

August 27, 2019

The last time that happened was at the depths of the financial crisis in 2008-2009
Treasury bond yields are plunging because investors are bidding up bond prices in a rush to safety from macroeconomic fears such as trade wars and geopolitical turmoil. When bond prices rise, yields fall.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management to Open NYC Office

August 24, 2019

The new office will start with 10 employees and follow the blueprint of its London operations Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Asset Management (SMTAM) will open an office in Manhattan as soon as 2020. Japan’s largest asset manager, with $600 billion in AUM, plans to start with a staff of roughly 10 people. The announcement came from…

Hiro Mizuno: “No place to hide” as markets move in lockstep

August 23, 2019

Hiro Mizuno, CIO of the Japanese $1.46 trillion Government Pension Investment Fund, is worried that global markets are so synchronized, diversification is nearly impossible
Speaking at a CalPERS board meeting, Mizuno said his fund incurred mark-to-market losses of $150 billion during the fourth quarter of 2018.

M&A Deal News

M&A Deal News – August 16, 2019

August 20, 2019

Another community bank deal, Softbank loves hotels abroad, and hospitals for sale in the Philippines. M&A Deal News – August 16, 2019: M&A deal news from around the globe. Each day, we focus on deals in the private equity, real estate, AI and tech, and others impacting the alternative investment space. Here’s our recap for…

Canadian private lenders suffer higher delinquencies versus traditional banks

August 18, 2019

Delinquency rates on loans advanced by private lenders are many times higher than those by traditional banks.
An analysis of data from the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation for the third quarter of 2018 reveals that mortgage investment entities (MIEs) suffered delinquency rates of 1.93% compared to just 0.24% at traditional banks.

Negative interest rates

Negative Interest Rates: Danish Bank Unit Pays Interest to a Borrower

August 17, 2019

For the first time in its history, Realkredit Danmark, a lending unit of the Danske Bank Group, has had to pay out interest on a loan taken by a customer
A fallout of the negative interest phenomenon, more such events are expected where a lender pays out interest to a borrower (rather than the other way round, as in the case of positive interest rates).

30-Year Treasury Bond Slumps Under 2% for First Time

August 16, 2019

Markets fear a global recession. The old reliable 30-year bond just hit an all-time low. The 30-year treasury bond just hit an all-time low. While the Dow slumped 800 points Wednesday, the 30-year bond dropped under 2% for the first time in history. We witnessed a drop to 1.991% during Asian trade. It’s also the…

That iconic Mustang from Bullitt may set a new muscle car record at 2020 auction

August 15, 2019

Mecum’s 2020 Kissimmee auction in January will notably feature the 1968 Ford Mustang driven by Steve McQueen in the movie Bullitt.
This would be the first time the renowned car will feature in an auction after it was miraculously found intact in Tennessee 18 months ago.
According to Dana Mecum, company president and founder, the Mustang might well pull past the previous American muscle car record of $ 3.5 million held by a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda convertible. Considering the highest auction price for a Mustang so far has been $ 2.2 million for a 1967 Shelby GT500 Super Snake, that would be quite an achievement.

Bill Ackman and Pershing Square Bets on Berkshire Hathaway

Pershing Square Bets on Warren Buffett

August 15, 2019

Bill Ackman’s secret investment we discussed last week was just a big bet on Berkshire Hathaway Pershing Square Capital Management has made a passive investment on Warren Buffett. A new SEC filing disclosed a 3.5-million stake in Berkshire B shares during the second quarter. Reuters reports it’s a passive investment for Ackman’s firm. As of…

New SEC Regulations Will Increase Investor Participation in Alternatives

August 14, 2019

The SEC’s revamp would be a boon for financial advisors who are already seeing increasing demand for investment opportunities in alternatives.
According to Lawrence Calcano, CEO of iCapital, the $40 billion alternatives platform used by Fidelity and Morgan Stanley, the SEC may also lower the eligible net worth limits to qualify for investing in alternatives.

Brookfield Business Partners Buys Big Stake in Genworth Financial’s Canadian

August 13, 2019

The deal clears the way for China Oceanwide to purchase Genworth. Brookfield Business Partners announced plans to purchase a 57% stake in Genworth Financial’s Canadian mortgage insurance unit. According to terms of the deal, the stake is worth roughly $1.81 billion. Brookfield purchased 4.9 million common shares of Genworth MI Canada stock for CAD$48.86 per…

Powered by alternative investments, UK investment trust assets top £200 billion

August 13, 2019

Investment trusts have become the preferred vehicles in the UK for acquiring alternative assets that were once the preserve of bank funding. These alternative assets have also been dubbed as ‘bond proxies,’ as investors seek to replace fast-fading bond yields with substitutes. Aircraft leases, student property, and medical centers are some of the assets of choice.

Limin Wang Becomes Managing Director at Blackstone

August 12, 2019

The former Credit Suisse director joins a deep quantitative team as Blackstone aims to increase its quantitative approach Limin Wang has become Managing Director of the Quantitative Research team at Blackstone Alternative Asset Management (BAAM). Wang was previously in portfolio management at Laurion Capital Management since 2015. Prior to that, he was a proprietary trader…

Neil Shah Joins Evercore as Senior Managing Director

August 12, 2019

The Harvard law graduate has 20 years of private equity experience and will launch Evercore’s permanent capital business. Neil Shah will join Evercore’s Investment Banking business as a Senior Managing Director in its Advisory practice. Shah will focus on advising financial sponsor clients in the firm’s New York office. He will also launch and lead Evercore’s…

Rocket Dollar Review – Making Alternative Investments Easier

August 12, 2019

Financial platform Rocket Dollar has taken the pain out of alternative investments for the common investor’s retirement portfolio. Rocket Dollar now allows you to invest in a whole swath of alternative assets through a solo 401(k) plan or a self-directed IRA.
Regarding investment choices, anything goes except those specifically prohibited by the IRS.

Chicago - Najarian Brothers

Najarian Brothers Welcome New Advisors to Cannabis ETF

August 9, 2019

Jon and Pete Najarian on Board Biotech Entrepreneur and Cannabis Investment Specialist The Najarian brothers of CNBC fame have welcomed two new members to the strategic advisory team of Innovation Shares’ Cannabis ETF (THCX). The ETF, which launched in July, will add Stable Road Capital CIO, Brian Kabot, and healthcare and biotechnology entrepreneur, Neal Patel,…

The Institute for Energy Economics

Did BlackRock Lose $90 Billion of Client Money on Fossil Fuels

August 7, 2019

It depends on how one defines opportunity costs and if you cherry pick data… But “Big Oil” might be to blame The Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEFFA) has called out the world’s top money manager by assets. According to an IEFFA report, BlackRock reportedly lost clients an estimated $90 billion in over a…

Abraxas Global Asset Management Opens GAM Platform for Investors

August 7, 2019

Abraxas Global Asset Management, a New York and Hong Kong provider of alternative asset solutions, will allow the direct use of its Abraxas GAM platform for alternative investing
These are “turbulent times,” according to James Harding, Head of Distribution and Marketing, Abraxas Global Asset Management.
He is referring to market volatility, the risks from an equity meltdown, unresolved trade disputes, and the Brexit “mystery.”