News
Each day, DailyAlts tracks major developments across the alternative investment world. Our content is procured from primary contacts in the industry and secondary sources across the web. Our goal is to give readers the most up-to-date news and engaging experience to open new doors and areas of knowledge. Our stories cover nine separate verticals of the alternative investment industry.
Top Story
Chipmaker AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) has unveiled a range of innovative AI solutions spanning from data centers to personal computers. The AMD Instinct MI300 Series features data center AI accelerators, while the ROCm 6 open software stack introduces new features supporting Large Language Models (LLMs). Additionally, the Ryzen 8040 Series processors come equipped with Ryzen AI capabilities.
Get Daily Updates
Subscribe to DailyAlts Today to get Alternative Investment news, insight, and commentary delivered straight to your inbox every day.
More Stories on News
The Elizabeth Warren Hedge Fund Short Bet Has Been Placed
Elizabeth Warren and hedge funds go together like oil and water. Over the last month, big hedge fund names like Leon Cooperman and Steven Cohen have warned about the threat of Elizabeth Warren to the financial markets.
Hedge Fund Stone Milliner Asset Management Will Shutter
Macro hedge fund Stone Milliner Asset Management is closing its doors. The company announced it would return capital to investors in the face of weak performance and ongoing outflows.
Liquid Alternatives: SEC Proposes New ETF Derivatives Rules
The SEC has proposed new rules on the use of derivatives by mutual funds, ETFs, and closed-end funds. The new rules would also impact business development companies. The new rule would provide an updated and more comprehensive approach to the regulation of funds’ derivatives use.
Here’s What Private Equity Giant Blackstone Group is Doing With It’s Money
Blackstone Group investments are always an interesting subject. The private equity and alternative asset management behemoth Blackstone has had a very successful fundraising year in 2019.
Alternative Investments: Insurance Company CIOs Between a Rock and a Hard Place
Natixis Investment Managers commissioned a survey of 200 Chief Investment Officers (CIOs) at insurers in Asia, Europe, and North America. Nearly 75% said that it was essential to include alternative investments in their portfolios.
Their view emerged from current trends that make it very difficult for the CIOs to earn alpha.
Activist Hedge Fund Starboard Value Takes Stake in CVS Health
Starboard Value Buys a Stake in the Pharmacy Benefits Giant CVS Health has a new activist investor circling around it. The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Starboard Value has purchased a stake in the pharmacy and health benefits giant. Reports indicate that Starboard has a small stake in CVS and that management has already discussed…
InvestIndustrial’s Seventh Private Equity Fund Raises €3.75 billion
Industrial group-turned private equity firm InvestIndustrial overshot the target of €3 billion for its seventh fund.
InvestIndustrial, founded in 1990 out of an industrial group, is a leading European investment firm. It focuses on buyout opportunities amongst medium-sized Southern European companies that are leaders in their fields.
Digital Assets: A $200 Million Warchest to Spur Bitcoin Cash (BCH) Acceptance
Bitcoin Cash (BCH) is the spin-off from the original Bitcoin (BTC) due to a hard fork in August 2017. The crypto offshoot is technologically faster with a “lighter blockweight.” Unfortunately, the use of Bitcoin Cash in transactions and eCommerce has been flagging, though it is fourth in the cryptoassets pecking order by size. But help may be at hand from Roger Ver, often referred to as the Father of Bitcoin Cash, even “Bitcoin Jesus.”
CIO Roundtable: Liquid Alternatives Named a Top 10 Investment Theme for 2020
The leaders of investment platforms at the $339 billion investment manager Neuberger Berman discussed the investment environment through 2019, and the key trends they expect in 2020. Liquid alternative investments made it to the list of the top 10 investment themes in the coming year.
Erik Knutzen, Chief Investment Officer-Multi-asset Class, and Anthony D Tutrone, Global Head of Alternatives, weighed in on liquid alternatives.
JP Morgan Will Use Blockchain to Monitor Dealers’ Financed Car Inventory
Error (or fraud-) prone recording of auto inventory will be a thing of the past after JP Morgan implements blockchain.
Wholesale car financing at JP Morgan will get a lot easier after the bank puts auto dealers’ floorplan lending onto a distributed ledger, or private blockchain.
Floorplan lending refers to the revolving line of credit provided by a bank against the collateral of vehicles forming a dealer’s unsold inventory.
Who’s Afraid of Carl Icahn? Not Putnam
Putnam Investments is on the opposite side of Carl Icahn’s massive short bet against mall owners’ debt. So is Alliance Bernstein. Putnam says Icahn is wrong to think malls are on death row. Putnam’s view stems from their fundamental observation that commercial real estate vacated in malls by retailers is finding takers. Only, the new tenants are service providers such as movie theaters, yoga schools, offices, even residences.
The Arms Race in ESG Ratings: S&P Buys RobecoSAM Unit
The hot new sector of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ratings is witness to a lot of deal activity this year. Investors, fund managers, and regulators are pressing for data on companies’ performance on ESG, as concerns mount on sustainability. It’s no surprise, therefore, that S&P just purchased the ESG ratings arm of RobecoSAM, for an undisclosed amount.
Facing Crowded IPO pipeline, Neptune Energy To Tighten ESG Belt
A BloombergLaw report said Neptune would explain to investors how its business will weather mounting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) concerns. According to this report, Neptune will publish for the first time, its ESG plan in its Annual Report around April 2020. Readying for an IPO means readying a low-carbon strategy, the article said.
Peter Brandt: Bitcoin Could Hit $5,500 in 2020
Peter Brandt, the Factor LLC CEO, said that Bitcoin could drop to $5,500 before it shows a recovery. In a Tweet sent on November 21, Brandt set his floor price for the world’s largest cryptocurrency.
Activist Investors Pressure Palantir on Human Rights
Palantir Technologies, a tech analytics company, faces new pressure from a group of activist investors. The Investor Alliance for Human Rights has raised concerns about the firm’s contracts with government agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customers Enforcement (ICE). It also accused the company of aiding the Trump administration.
Airbnb Lost $100 Million the Second Quarter
Airbnb is losing money ahead of its public offering. During the second quarter of 2018, Airbnb earned a $10 million profit. A year later, it lost $100 million before interest and taxes for Q2 2019.
Ray Dalio Says He Isn’t Shorting the Market
Bridgewater Associates’ Ray Dalio said Friday that his hedge fund isn’t shorting the markets. In a Tweet, Dalio refuted a Wall Street Journal report about his firm’s position.
Sen. Charles Schumer to Watch Alden Global “Like a Hawk”
Chuck Schumer says he’s keeping a close eye on hedge fund Alden Global Capital. The Democratic Senator from New York has raised concerns about Alden’s recent stake in Tribune Publishing, a publisher of local newspapers. Alden recently purchased a 25.2% stake in the firm from Michael Ferro.
Greg Coffey’s Hedge Fund is Up 29%
Greg Coffey retired at the age of 41 after time at GLG Partners and Moore Capital Management and returned to Sydney, Australia. But six years later, he announced plans to start a new fund.
Bitcoin Plunges to Sub-$7000 Levels Before Recovering
Bitcoin plummeted today after back-to-back crackdowns on virtual currencies by the Chinese Government. Yesterday, regulators in Shenzen, and today, in Shanghai, threatened to crack down on alleged illegal activities. The PBoC was reportedly behind both campaigns and seeking to impose a ban on trading in cryptocurrencies.
London Stock Exchange and PrimaryBid To Democratize Public Equity Offerings
The London Stock Exchange (LSE) has tied-up with fintech PrimaryBid to give retail investors access to share offerings. PrimaryBid’s internet-based investment platform will allow retail investors to digitally access share offerings on the same terms (read: discounts) as institutions.
Ray Dalio Is Shorting the World
Hedge fund manager Ray Dalio is shoring the markets. The largest hedge fund in the world – Bridgewater Associates – has a $1.5 billion bet that the markets will fall by March. The Wall Street Journal reports that these wagers will pay if either the Euro Stoxx 500 or S&P 500 decline.
A UK Legal Task Force Clarifies on Cryptoassets and Smart Contracts
A UK Jurisdiction Task Force has issued a legal statement on cryptoassets and smart contracts.
Issued under the aegis of the Law Tech Delivery Panel, the document is a result of the consultative process that commenced in May 2019. Its object was to clarify the status of crypto assets, distributed ledger technology, and smart contracts in English private law.
Now, Advisors and Qualified Clients Get Access to PIMCO Alternative Strategies
iCapital Network, which connects advisors and their high net worth investors to leading alternative investment managers, ties up with PIMCO.
iCapital Network said it will develop a customized technology platform for PIMCO, one of the world’s largest fixed-income asset managers. Financial advisors and qualified investors can use this platform to access PIMCO’s alternative investment strategies.