James Comtois

New York

Senior Reporter at Institutional Investor

James Comtois is a Reporter at Pensions & Investments.

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Articles

Walton Family Consolidates Investment Offices Under Sole CIO

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

Following the recent departure of one of its chief investment officers, the family office of Walmart heir Lukas Walton has promoted the remaining CIO to lead a newly consolidated investment team. Builders Vision has promoted Noelle Laing to the sole CIO of the impact investment firm. Previously, the family office used a dual CIO model in which Laing served as investment chief for the philanthropic arm — Builders Initiative — while Rebecca Carland oversaw the asset management division.
Big Allocators Double Down on Private Credit Amid Market Volatility

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

Trade tensions are driving volatility within markets, but large asset owners remain sanguine about shorter-term market moves and are doubling down on private credit. Results of a new survey released by Mercer show that 70 percent of asset owners with at least $20 billion intend to increase allocations to private debt in the next 12 months, and 63 percent plan to invest more heavily in infrastructure.
More Deals May Be in the Works as Wilshire Names New CEO

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

After a rebranding and restructuring, Wilshire Advisors has promoted its president and deputy CEO Jason Schwarz to CEO. He succeeds Andy Stewart, who will become executive chairman. Schwarz said in a statement that he’s looking to expand the firm’s offerings and build on Stewart’s legacy, while working to deepen client relationships.
Now Global Investors Are Pulling Money Out of Sustainable Funds

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

A perfect storm of geopolitical challenges and an intensifying ESG backlash has led investors to pull a record amount from global sustainable funds in the first quarter. But the state of funds that identify investments based on environmental, social, and governance factors is not entirely clear. The outflows come even as large asset owners, such as New York City’s pension funds, have doubled down on their commitments to sustainable investments amid the contentious debate.
Now Global Investors Are Pulling Money Out of Sustainable Funds

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

A perfect storm of geopolitical challenges and an intensifying ESG backlash has led investors to pull a record amount from global sustainable funds in the first quarter. But the state of funds that identify investments based on environmental, social, and governance factors is not entirely clear. The outflows come even as large asset owners, such as New York City’s pension funds, have doubled down on their commitments to sustainable investments amid the contentious debate.
Institutional Investors Wield Enormous Influence Over Trade Policy - Even if Indirect

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

New research shows a direct correlation between trade policy shifts and U.S. pension funds’ allocations to international private equity managers, with plans engaging in a form of “institutional tariff-jumping.”It’s no surprise the research comes as the U.S. has upended the global trading system by slapping tariffs on almost every country across the globe.
Yale’s Potential PE Sale Won’t Solve Liquidity Challenges

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

After years of underperformance and as Ivy Leagues face federal funding freezes, Yale is considering selling off a portion of its private equity holdings on the secondary market. A spokesperson confirmed in an email to Institutional Investor that the university is working with Evercore and “exploring a sale of private equity fund interests.” While Yale did not provide a target price for the sale, PEI Media initially reported that it could be as high as $6 billion.
In a Rare Move, Knight Brings Its $2.6B Portfolio Back In-House After Decades of Outsourcing

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | James Comtois

After decades of outsourcing, a private foundation is managing its portfolio in-house — a rare move among its peers. The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is putting together its investment team — its first since outsourcing its portfolio to Cambridge Associates in 2005. To lead the effort, Knight has hired private family office vets Rebecca Carland as its chief investment officer and Shanna Charles as director of investment operations.
As Stocks Tumble, CTAs’ Promise to Protect Investors Has Mixed Results

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | Stephen Taub |John Crabb |James Comtois

So much for being uncorrelated to the stock market. Commodity trading advisors, also known as managed futures, mostly posted losses in March amid the global sell-off in stocks. This is not supposed to happen. Several funds have stayed in the black for the year, but many fell more than the stock market.
Tiger Funds Shield Investors From Market Turmoil - At Least Before Tariffs

1 month ago | institutionalinvestor.com | John Crabb |James Comtois

sarayut Thaneerat/Getty Images Tiger Cubs and their offspring enjoyed mixed success in March. But they still mostly managed to beat the S&P 500 in what wound up being a losing month for the index. What’s more, most of the felines continued to outperform the broad market indices for the quarter thanks in large part to their short books, underscoring their ability to live up to the “hedge fund” moniker. To continue reading, subscribe now to Premium Journalism. Already a subscriber? login.