State Pensions Tell Oil Companies to Responsibly Prepare for the Worst

Ceres, a national network of investors, environmental organizations and other public interest groups, has kicked off a campaign among global investors with assets totaling more than $2.5 trillion, urging energy companies to be open and transparent with investors and stakeholders.

(August 10, 2010) — Following significant financial and environmental losses from BP’s oil spill, more than 50 global investors have sent letters to major energy companies, urging them to disclose information about their risk oversight measures.

Such measures would include insight relating to spill prevention and response plans for their own offshore oil operations around the world.

The letters were sent to CEOs at 27 oil and gas companies, excluding BP, and were signed by 58 global investors with collective assets totaling more than $2.5 trillion. Signatories included the New York State Comptroller, California State Treasurer, Florida State Board of Administration and the UK-based Local Authority Pension Fund Authority Forum.

“It is important for all companies involved in subsea deepwater drilling to be open and transparent with investors and stakeholders at this crucial historic moment,” wrote the investors. The letter stated that the shareholder harm that has resulted from the BP spill has shifted investor attention to governance, compliance and management systems needed to minimize risks associated with deepwater offshore oil and gas development worldwide.

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Petrobras, ExxonMobil and Royal Dutch Shell — the world’s three largest deepwater oil producers — were among the 27 companies that received the letters. They have been requested to respond with detailed answers on five key topics by November 1:

1) Company investments in spill prevention and response activity, including offshore drilling and spill response capability;

2) Spill contingency plans for managing deepwater blowouts;

3) Lessons learned from the BP spill, including their position on possible new regulations and more robust enforcement on offshore drilling in the Gulf and elsewhere;

4) Possible actions to improve their safety contractor selection and oversight practices;

5) Governance systems for overseeing management of offshore oil and gas operations.

In a recent press release, Pennsylvania State Treasurer Rob McCord described the environment facing investors:

“The Deepwater Horizon disaster was a game-changer for shareholders. It demonstrated the catastrophic consequences that can result when firms fail to provide essential risk assessment…Would I invest in an offshore drilling company if its disclosure statement revealed that its ‘rapid response’ to a catastrophic oil spill involved the unproven technique of stuffing golf balls, hair clippings and shredded tires down a well? Probably not.”

California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, who serves as a trustee on the board of CalPERS and CalSTRS, which have a combined $337 billion in assets, said:

“The Gulf tragedy provided dramatic evidence that investors and pensioners have high stakes in deepwater oil exploration. In my state alone, the nation’s two largest public employee pension funds have seen the value of their BP holdings plummet by $349 million. Our message is simple: investors have a right to full disclosure of the risks associated with oil companies’ offshore operations, and the prevention, response and governance measures they have in place to minimize those risks.”



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

Despite Tough Quarter, Institutions Plan to Increase HF Allocations

While almost a third of institutional investors plan to increase hedge fund investment over the next year, fewer investors are satisfied with hedge fund performance compared to last year.

(August 10, 2010) — Institutional investors have reported waning confidence in hedge funds, which have suffered dwindling inflows in recent months, but new research by Preqin reveals investment in the asset class is beginning to accelerate.

“Despite a slight drop in investor satisfaction in hedge fund returns over the past 12 months, institutional investors are beginning to invest more capital in hedge funds in greater numbers than they were a year ago,” said Preqin’s Hedge Fund Data Manager Amy Bensted in a statement. “It is clear that institutional investors still believe hedge fund investments are a valuable part of their portfolios.”

Nearly a third of pension funds and other institutional investors plan to up their allocations to hedge funds over the next year, Preqin’s research showed. The research firm’s survey studied 50 hedge fund investors worldwide and found that 29% aim to allocate a greater percentage of capital to the asset class over the next 12 months. On the other hand, 56% intend to keep their exposure at the same level. Fifteen percent plan to reduce their hedge fund holdings in the $2 trillion industry.

Meanwhile, reflecting a slight drop in confidence, 69% of investors reported feeling the hedge funds within their portfolios have either met or exceeded return expectations, a decrease from 73% of investors surveyed in 2009.

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Over the longer 3- to 5-year term, 46% of surveyed investors intend to up their exposure to hedge funds.

The news comes as hedge fund returns have continued to drop in 2010 as concerns that the sovereign debt crisis in Europe may thwart a global economic recovery have persisted this year, following 2009’s strong year, when hedge funds returned an average 20%. The asset class lost an average of 0.5% in June after losing 2.6% in May, with the overall sector posting a negative 0.02% for the current year, according to the Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index, which measures the performance of more than 2,000 funds worldwide.

Yet, according to Preqin, the results of the survey suggest modest flows into hedge funds for the rest of 2010, with a “more significant” increase in commitments from institutional investors coming through 2011.



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

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