Salient to Investors: Costco’s “Tiffany” engagement rings have nothing to do with the New York jewelry store, who is now fighting Costco in a multimillion-dollar trademark suit. In 2005, Good Morning America appraised a $16,600 Tiffany at $10,500 and a $6,600 Costco “Tiffany” at $8,000. Read the full article at http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-05-06/tiffany-vs-dot-costco-which-diamond-ring-is-better#r=rss
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Calpers market value exceeds the high set before the global financial crisis wiped out more than a third of its wealth, but is is still short $87 billion, or 26 percent, of meeting its long-term commitments. Calpers has half of its money in equities, and returned 13 percent
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The growth of Internet shopping in Europe is luring investors to warehouses, where yields are beating showy storefronts and sleek offices amid a space shortage. Jones Lang LaSalle say Europe needs 296 million square feet of new distribution and storage warehouses in the next 5 years, 11 percent of
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Will Bertsch at BMO Capital Markets said all the sectors leading the market down are commodity-backed in some fashion, while today the sharp rise in ETF trading volume shows investors putting on hedges. Jeffrey Sica at SICA Wealth Mgmt said commodities can’t appreciate without China being strong
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds are making the biggest bet against copper on record as global inventories expand to a 9-year high, while concern that Europe’s debt crisis will spread spurred the biggest gain in gold bets since 2008. Jack Ablin at BMO Private Bank cites unprecedented stockpiles of copper and other metals
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Masahiro Koshiba at United Managers Japan said investors who had written off Japan are finally starting to take a look at it again. David Baran at Symphony Financial there is a lot of idle cash looking for what has not performed and is still cheap. Farhan Mumtaz
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Charles Morrison at Altus Partners there are still many more candidates than jobs. Hedge Fund Research said poor returns and difficulty raising money caused 873 hedge funds to liquidate globally in 2012, the most since 1,023 closed in 2009. John Purcell at Purcell & Co said smaller firms
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge funds are the most bullish on 10-yr Treasuries since 2007. Jason Evans at NineAlpha Capital said it is expensive to fight the Fed – whether yields have begun a structural rise is the multibillion dollar question. Evans says the cost of being under-invested in Treasuries eats you
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: The private-equity investment of $36 billion in US brick-and-mortar retailers before the recession in 2007 has not turned out well. Of the 8 largest retail private-equity buyouts during that period, only Dollar General has gone public Leon Nicholas at Kantar Retail said there is nothing special about
READ MORE... →Salient to Investors: Hedge Fund Research said 873 hedge-funds closed in 2012, the most since 2009, but the net number increased after 1,108 firms were started. Hedge funds managing over $5 billion got 65 percent of Q4 2012 fund inflows, firms with under $1 billion got 8.7 percent. Average industry management fees declined
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