POPULAR ARTICLES


Investment Strategy | Articles

Mind the Gap: The Strategic Risk of Skipping a Vintage in Private Equity

Private equity (inclusive of buyouts, growth equity, and venture capital) remains a compelling long-term asset class, but recent periods of muted distributions and below-average returns have created...

Perspectives | Press Releases

FY24 NACUBO-Commonfund Study Released

U.S. Higher Education Endowments Report 6.8% 10-Year Average Annual Return, Increase Spending to a Collective $30.0 Billion Annual NACUBO-Commonfund Study shows participating institutions spent...

Investment Strategy | Videos

Chief Investment Officers Share Their Thoughts at Forum 2025

Commonfund hosted its annual Commonfund Forum 2025, March 9-11th, in Orlando, Florida. The agenda included a range of sessions on relevant topics for institutional investors. This Forum Spotlight...

Stay connected with the Insights Blog



Perspectives | Insights Blog

A Winter Wonderland of Books to Warm Your Soul and Inspire Creativity!

Commonfund Institute is excited to share our staff-curated reading list this winter, filled with stories that warm the heart and spark imagination. We extend our warmest wishes for a season filled...
Governance And Policy | Videos

Beyond DEI Toward Reparative Care - Commonfund Coffee Talk

Beyond DEI Toward Reparative Care The second session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk 2023 series, foundation leaders discuss how institutions can use their power, move beyond baseline DEI, and toward...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

Key Factors in Asset Allocation Decisions for Endowments

There are several broad subjects that an effective investment policy statement (IPS) should include in its contents and address clearly and specifically as they relate to an endowed institution. This...
Governance And Policy | Videos

Meeting Mission through Investments - Commonfund Coffee Talk

Meeting Mission through Investments The first session in our Commonfund Coffee Talk 2023 series, foundation leaders discuss mission-oriented investment strategies, governance, implementation, and...
Market Commentary | Private Equity Insights

The Impact of the Rising Cost of Debt on Private Equity

As the cost of debt on private equity ("PE") has risen and its availability has fallen, deal-making within PE has slowed. PE firms that have historically been overly reliant on leverage in financing...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

City of the Big Shoulders: Key Takeaways from our Chicago CIO/CFO Roundtable

For more than 50 years, Commonfund has been working with boards and investment committees to design and implement investment structures that support and maintain intergenerational equity - the...
Market Commentary | Podcasts

Commonfund OCIO Point of View

Episode 1 In this episode we cover our macro-economic outlook, delve into public and private equities, the impact of higher inflation and interest rates on fixed income and credit strategies, as well...
Market Commentary | Private Equity Insights

Venture Capital Valuation "Marks": What’s in Your Wallet?

In order to underwrite new commitments in an uncertain market environment, it is critical to normalize valuation methodologies and deeply analyze underlying portfolio companies.
Governance And Policy | Insights Blog

Increasing Use of OCIO Relationships Requires New Governance Considerations

More and more endowments and foundations are entering outsourced chief investment officer (OCIO) relationships as long-term mission-aligned investing becomes mired in the complexity of rapidly...
Perspectives | Insights Blog

Viewpoint | Analyzing Community Foundation Data by Region

For the 2022 Council on Foundations - Commonfund Study of Foundations, we provided an analysis of community foundation data by five geographic regions. Community foundations lend themselves to this...
Market Commentary | Insights Blog

Yield Curve Dynamics in Focus to Close 2023

After a relatively tame summer, significant cross-asset volatility has returned with both the MOVE and VIX indices increasing by 37 and 48 percent respectively, after approaching the lows for 2023 in...
Investment Strategy | Insights Blog

Private Credit Today

On September 27th, Commonfund OCIO hosted an event in Minneapolis at the O’Shaughnessy Distilling Co. Following a tour and tasting at the facility, Nicole Melwood, Director, and Vincent Kravec,...