Everything's big in Texas. Look at the state's Teacher Retirement System (TRS). In all, it has about $112 billion in assets.
Interestingly enough, the pension fund wants to devote about a third of its assets to alternatives, such as hedge funds and private equity funds. This is according to a story in the Wall Street Journal [a paid service].
Yes, when you take a look a the SEC filings of the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX), Fortress (NYSE: FIG), and KKR, you will see that alternative investment can post strong returns.
Despite this, the TRS strategy is certainly gutsy. Keep in mind that alternative investments can be fairly illiquid. What if it gets tougher to do IPOs or get sound exits on these investments?
Or, what if there is a meltdown, as seen with the subprime hedge funds at Bear Stearns (NYSE: BSC)?
Even the pros can make big blunders. And it could be bad news for pensioners.
On the other hand, TRS's move is certainly good news for the private equity world. Simply put, there's likely to be many more assets under management -- and that means lots of juicy fees.
Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including the Complete M&A Handbook and the EDGAR-Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements.
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