Weekend Giant Reading: November 14 – 16, 2014

Sorry for a prolonged period of radio silence, everybody. Anyway, here’s some reading for your weekend!

UK Chancellor George Osborne Visits Businesses

Employees work on the McLaren P1 Hybrid supercar production line at McLaren Automotive Ltd.'s plant in Woking, U.K., on Friday, June 27, 2014. George Osborne, U.K. chancellor of the exchequer, launched the ‘Your Life’ campaign earlier today, hoping to increase participation in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) based subjects, particularly in younger women. Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Simon Dawson/Bloomberg

Sorry for a prolonged period of radio silence, everybody. There’s been a frenzy of activity down on the Avenue of Giants these past few weeks, and I’ve been a tad overwhelmed. Anyway, here’s some reading for your weekend!

- In-Sourcing: CalSTRS may soon be carrying a Canadian passport.

- Fast Cars: Bahrain’s Mumtalakat is loving its investment in McLaren. Especially the part where they get to drive the cars.

- ESG: Dutch PGGM continues to show a legit commitment to ESG; considers giving ESG staff a veto over transactions... which I’m sure staff is thrilled about.

- Nano-violins: Hedge funds are apparently under threat from the pension fund rethink. Here’s my take.

- New SWFs I: Mugabe has signed Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth fund bill into law. This should be interesting.

- New SWFs II: Britain’s House of Lords is considering plans for a new SWF from shale gas revenues.

- SDFs: Italy’s Strategic Investment fund appears to have been successful in attracting foreign capital, this time from Qatar, into Italian companies.

- Dip-lo-matic Im-mu-ni-ty: The Future Fund is defending its low tax bill with two words: “sovereign immunity” Must. Not. Link. To... ‘Has just been revoked!’ Sorry.

- QOTD: “The CIO... works for a group of trustees that resembles a condo resident board more than an investment team.”

- Sock Puppet Time: OMERS Ventures backs AirBNB... for dogs.

- The Fee Machine: Apparently disclosing what GPs charge LPs will prevent GPs from making high returns. [Cough. 8ull$hit. Cough.]

- The Giants: “When you own 1.3 per cent of the world’s listed equities, there are different expectations.” Yeah, that is in fact true.

I’ll be back next week with some actual writing. Have a good one...

Qatar Italy Zimbabwe Britain Bahrain
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