Podcast Center
Video Center
Webcasts
Resource Center
Events
September 09, 2016 at 01:37 PM
Alternative assets continue to be a crucial part of many institutional investors’ portfolios, but investors are now having a harder time identifying attractive investment opportunities compared to a year ago, alternatives data provider Preqin reported Thursday.
A record-high number of private capital funds and hedge funds are in the market, but 57% of real estate and 54% of infrastructure investors said they were challenged to find the right fund. Slightly less than half of private equity and hedge fund investors said the same thing.
Preqin’s latest survey involved in-depth interviews with 490 institutional investors across the globe, 36% of whom were located in North America, 33% in Europe, 21% in Asia/Pacific and 4% in the rest of the world.
Private capital investors in the survey generally felt the balance of power with their fund manager was tilting toward them. However, they viewed certain aspects of the fund selection and marketing process unfavorably.
Fund terms were a particular bugbear of investors. Some 80% across all asset classes said they had previously declined to invest in a fund because of the proposed terms, and more than a quarter said they frequently decided not to invest.
Survey participants also said firms had to work harder when promoting their funds. More than a third of investors across all alternatives reported that fund marketing documents commonly failed to meet their needs.
“These issues seem to be present across all asset classes, and serve to illustrate the challenges investors face in committing to vehicles,” Preqin Chief Executive Mark O’Hare said in a statement.
“Although more investors believe that the dynamic is shifting in their favor than against them, managers must ensure that they maintain open and effective communication during the fundraising process.”
Other Key Findings
Seventy-nine percent of investors surveyed, including 88% of those managing $1 billion or more, reported participation in at least one alternative class, while 47% said they invested in at least three classes.
