Thursday, April 14, 2016

HEDGE FUNDS | NYCERS to Vote on Exit

Tish James
April 14, 2016–After a 1.88% loss on its investments last year, the New York City Employees’ Retirement System is considering getting out of hedge fund investing, says Bloomberg. 

Reasons: High fees, poor returns, low transparency.

The pension fund’s trustees are expected to approve divestiture from hedge fund investments. But such a move could take years. NYCERS has about 3% of its $51 billion portfolio invested in hedge funds. Its investments include D.E. Shaw, Brevan Howard Asset Management and Perry Capital.

“Hedge funds are charging exorbitant fees for high-risk and opaque investments,” says Letitia “Tish” James, a trustee of the fund and the city’s public advocate.

Monday, April 11, 2016

CITYECONOMIST | 250K page views

Apr. 11, 2016–The  CityEconomist blog topped 250,000 page views.

Page views for all blogs managed by CityEconomist has passed one million


Thank you for reading!

Here are the most-viewed CityEconomist posts in March-April.


FOOD BIZ | High Line Hotspot Opens Next Month
Apr 6, 2016
FDR | Mar. 12–First Fireside Chat, 1933
Mar 12, 2016
WW2 | 9. Resistance Banker–Wally van Hall (Updated...
Feb 19, 2015, 4 comments
JOBS | Opening for Labor Economist, MA Level
Apr 7, 2016
FDR | Mar. 22–Beer and Wine Legalized & TAXED
Mar 22, 2016
WW2 | BOISSEVAINS Links (Updated Mar. 25, 2016)
Jan 26, 2015, 4 comments
NYC COMPTROLLER | Eric Wollman of FOCEA
Jan 31, 2016
BLOG VIEWS | ONE MILLION–Mar. 9, 2016!
Mar 9, 2016, 2 comments
WW2 | 6. Armed Resistance: Jan Canada and Sons (Up...
Jan 29, 2015, 3 comments
OBIT | Mae Doris Corrigan (1928-2015)
Oct 7, 2015, 2 comments

Thursday, April 7, 2016

JOBS | Opening for Labor Economist, MA Level

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

Full-Time Senior Research Associate
The New York City Labor Market Information Service (NYCLMIS), housed at the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center, seeks a full-time senior research associate to work as part of a team that performs research on jobs and the economy, prepares career planning informational tools, and provides strategic consulting. The overall function of the NYCLMIS is to help education, workforce  and economic development policy makers and practitioners to better align their programs and policies to the demands of the labor market  The heart of our work is a mission to advocate for strategies that improve opportunities for those at the bottom of the economic ladder.  For more information about NYCLMIS, see its  website at http://www/gc.cuny.edu/lmis.

With supervision and support from the director of the NYCLMIS and other senior staff, the data research associate will:
§  Analyze economic, labor market, labor force, and other data;
§  Conduct interviews and focus groups;
§  Write reports and briefs;
§  Create presentation materials;
§  Work on multiple projects simultaneously; and
§  Participate in other research and technical assistance activities as needed.

The qualifications NYCLMIC seeks include:
§  Master's degree and at least 3 years professional experience in a related research/policy role (experience may be substituted for education);
§  Strong quantitative skills including data cleaning, merging, analysis, and management:
-         Advanced facility with at least one statistical analysis software package (STATA, R, SAS, SPSS);
-         Experience using a wide variety of public data sources, like the American Community Survey the QCEW, and other New York State Department of Labor products; and
-         Ability to communicate research findings clearly to diverse audiences, including clear writing and production of charts and figures.
§  Experience collecting, analyzing and summarizing information using qualitative methods, such as document review and semi-structured interviews;
§  Familiarity with – or interest in –workforce development policies and programs; and
§  Experience working within a client-centered, team- and project-based environment.

Salary
NYCLMIS offers a competitive salary that is based on the candidate’s experience and skills. The full-time position comes with a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage and – after one year of employment – participation in the RFCUNY retirement package.

Growth Potential
The right candidate will be able to take on or advance into other roles including conceiving and designing research projects for submission to competitive grants and directing projects in collaboration and support from the NYCLMIS director.

To apply, go to the RFCUNY Research Jobs web page, and search for PVN # GS-1603-001084 or “senior research associate” at the CUNY Graduate Center. Please be sure to include both resume and cover letter in your application. Only complete applications will be reviewed.

The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities act, E-verify employer.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

FOOD BIZ | High Line Hotspot Opens Next Month

Alta Linea will open at the High Line Hotel in
May. The chef is Francis Peabody. Photo by
 JT Marlin.
Florence Fabricant’s food column in The New York Times today noted that Alta Linea–High Line in Italian–will reopen next month. 

That seasonal courtyard restaurant is operated by Joe Campanale at the High Line Hotel on 10th Avenue.
Francis Peabody (L) and his mother-in-law, Alice
Tepper Marlin. Photo by JT Marlin. 

The new chef will be Francis Peabody, who was previously at dell’Anima and Mission Cantina.

Peabody knows what Campanale likes, since dell'Anima has since  2007 offered rustic Italian cooking. 


The wine list there is entirely Italian, and seeks to buy from small producers of natural and organic (specifically biodynamic) wines.

Alta Linea will be on the courtyard facing the wildly popular High Line, between 20th and 21st Streets. 

It will be visible from the High Line as a hotspot on 10th Avenue, on the west end of the block mostly occupied by the General Theological Seminary.