Perspectives Highlight Monthly Video Podcast By Jim McDonald, Chief Investment Strategist

• There is evidence of the start of a global financial tightening cycle
• Developing economies likely will be the first to normalize monetary policy
• Recommend more focus on policy actions than traditional growth metrics

In this roundtable with ai5000.com, Northern Trust's hedge fund of funds professionals discuss how - despite the turmoil that roiled the hedge fund markets in 2008 - they believe the value proposition of hedge funds remains intact.

Listen Now: Full audio (23:46)
Listen Now: Chapter 1 - Insights from 2008
Listen Now: Chapter 2 - Evolving Investor Demands
Listen Now: Chapter 3 - Portfolio Trends
Listen Now: Chapter 4 - A New Way of Thinking
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The restructuring of the insolvent Whistlejacket SIV made significant progress in April and early May. Listen to this podcast to learn about what we believe will be final resolution of this restructuring.

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Learn about key investment management changes and how they may benefit you.

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Learn how Web Trade Services can increase straight-through processing in the post-execution trade process.

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What global trends are transforming the asset servicing industry? Four key mega-trends are affecting institutional investors and investment managers. In this podcast, we examine all four trends and the environments in the United States and Europe that helped incubate each.

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Real estate investment trusts, or REITs for short, are one of the most talked about and long-awaited investment vehicles on the United Kingdom investment scene. Find out what their arrival in 2007 really means for property companies and investors in the United Kingdom.

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Why have some investments been divested from companies that do business in Sudan or distribute products made in Sudan? This timely and comprehensive podcast provides some answers.

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Securities market consolidation in the Nordic region is well advanced. Amidst all the frenzied transatlantic activity between European and US stock exchanges, many have said that one voice has stood out as an advocate of reason and moderation.

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While target date funds have been in existence for several years, the recent surge in interest is a result of the Pension Protection Act which was signed into law in 2006. Many plan sponsors are adopting target date strategies as their new default investment option. Listen to this podcast to find out more about Target Date Strategies.

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Considering alternatives to traditional portfolio management? There has been considerable interest by Institutional Investors around portable alpha. Several factors have contributed to this interest; listen to find out more.

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Pension Plan sponsors in Europe and North America are looking for alternatives to traditional pension management strategies. A host of issues are prompting plan sponsors to seek out new solutions with the potential to relieve the pressure building on their funds. Listen to this podcast to find out more about trends in the use of liability driven investment strategies.

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There is no question that China is booming. The country boasts the world’s fastest growing economy, one of the fastest growing middle classes and a manufacturing and industrial base set to rapidly expand for the foreseeable future. So what should an investor know before contemplating an investment in China?

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Multinationals and investment managers who have interest in meeting the challenges of globalization will be interested in how Northern Trust has developed an innovative approach to cross border pension pooling, offering clients a unique solution to their needs.

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For the past 5 years, the small cap equity asset class has been one of the leading contributors to investors’ overall performance. Fueled by today’s low equity return environment, the demand for small cap products continues at a rapid pace – despite many top-quartile managers closing their doors to new investors.

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Each year, institutional investors shuffle between $2 trillion and $2.5 trillion dollars among portfolios. Given the continued search for alpha and new funding and reporting requirements, most industry analysts expect the number of portfolio restructurings to increase. As the pace of fund restructurings continues to accelerate (due to these changes), it’s important to separate truth from the transition management myths.

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Pension plans around the globe are adopting new investing mindsets and changing behaviors as they grapple with aging populations, funding issues and new regulations. This podcast is intended for institutional investors who want to learn more about how pension plans around the globe are responding to new pension funding laws and regulations, and the strategies - such as liability driven investing - that are being developed to deal with these issues.

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With hedge fund stories constantly in the press, this podcast will be of interest to anyone who wants to find out more about the impact of inflows of institutional money on the hedge fund industry. Northern Trust seeks to explore the consequences that institutionalisation is having on investors and managers alike.

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It has been described as the most far-reaching reform of any major financial market ever undertaken. MiFID – the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive – is a critical component of the European Commission's Financial Services Action Plan.

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