December 05, 2016 12:00 AM

Endowments and foundations prefer to invest in energy; other institutional investors prefer oil and gas

Endowments and foundations accounted for 45% of North American based investors allocating assets to unlisted energy funds, according to a report from Preqin. Pension funds, both public and private, accounted for 32%. Oil and gas remained the preferred commodity for investors as 91% of those polled said it is their investment of choice; 50% also preferred renewable resources and only 9% preferred coal. Geographically, 75% of those polled said they're looking for energy investments in North America.

Societe de transport de Montreal and Texas Teachers' Retirement System were cited as institutions increasing their allocation to energy, investing C$20 million ($15.1 million USD) to C$60 million ($45.3 million USD) and $1.3 billion, respectively.