ADIA Opens Up, Reveals Rising Long-Term Returns

(September 15, 2011) — The traditionally secretive Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) has opened up a bit, releasing its yearly statement of what is perceived to be the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund.

Spurred by global economic growth, the fund revealed that annualised rate of return increased to 7.6%, compared with 6.5% in 2009.

“While remaining diversified across all major global markets, ADIA continued to benefit during 2010 from its decision a year earlier to tilt exposures in the portfolio towards asset classes and regions able to benefit from better growth prospects,” Sheikh Hamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the managing director and a senior member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling family, wrote in the review. “This is an approach that remains in place as we enter 2011.” He continued: “While developed economies continue to demonstrate their ability to innovate and grow, the secular shift in global economic weight from developed to fast-growth emerging economies has accelerated as a result of the financial crisis.”

According to the report, ADIA’s assets are largely allocated to developed equity investments. With an estimated $342 billion in assets according to Monitor Group, the fund allocates 60% of its total portfolio to externally-managed indexed funds. Overall, roughly 80% of the fund’s assets are invested by external fund managers. Allocations to developed equity markets constitute 35% to 45% of the fund’s portfolio, the report showed. Emerging market equities make up 10% to 20%. Government bonds make up 10% to 20% of the portfolio.

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In terms of geographic prevalence, ADIA allocates 35% to 50% in North America, 25% to 35% in Europe, 10% to 20% in developed Asia, and 15% to 25% in emerging markets, according to the report.

The report is the first to be released under Sheikh Hamed. He succeeded his older brother, Sheikh Ahmed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who died in March 2010 in Morocco after his glider crashed into a lake near the capital of Rabat. The shift in power was not a surprise, reflecting an effort to keep control of the world’s biggest fund in royal hands.

To contact the <em>aiCIO</em> editor of this story: Paula Vasan at <a href='mailto:pvasan@assetinternational.com'>pvasan@assetinternational.com</a>; 646-308-2742

(September 14, 2011) — Pension funds and other News Corp shareholders have brought fresh charges against the media firm stemming from its phone-hacking scandal.

The shareholders — including the New Orleans Employees’ Retirement System and Central Laborers Pension Fund — stated that the “still unfolding hacking scandal is just a continuation of the board’s malfeasance.” In the new filing, shareholders have highlighted cases involving several News Corp US subsidiaries which suggest that hacking, privacy breaches, and anticompetitive practices were not restricted to the newspaper division.

Additionally, the new filing includes wrongdoing at two more Rupert Murdoch-owned companies — News America Marketing and NDS Group. The new charges are contained in a second amended complaint filed in Delaware Court of Chancery by News Corp. shareholders. The shareholders are represented by law firms Grant & Eisenhofer and Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann.

In July, the Massachusetts Laborers’ Pension and Annuity Funds (Mass. Labor) filed a lawsuit against Rupert Murdoch and the other directors of media giant News Corporation, adding to the list of shareholders suing the company for failure to act in the wake of the recent phone hacking scandal.

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The Burlington, MA based Mass. Labor filed the suit in the Delaware Chancery Court on July 15. In the lawsuit, Mass. Labor accused Murdoch and the directors of “failure to take any action to investigate, control, and limit the fallout from the hacking scandal” that “caused the Company to lose billions of dollars in value,” according to the suit. The suit also alleged that Murdoch engaged in nepotistic business practices that bought companies run by family members for inflated prices and that the phone hacking scandal prevented News Corp from acquiring British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC, a move which would have helped increase the value of News Corp.

The main claim of the plaintiffs in the suit was that Murdoch and the board of News Corp failed to intervene in response to the phone hacking allegations against the company. “These revelations should not have taken years to uncover and stop,” reads the amended complaint, which was filed on July 8, and was obtained by Bloomberg. “These revelations show a culture run amuck within News Corp. and a board that provides no effective review or oversight.”

To contact the <em>aiCIO</em> editor of this story: Paula Vasan at <a href='mailto:pvasan@assetinternational.com'>pvasan@assetinternational.com</a>; 646-308-2742