Henderson Global Investors, an investment management company that handles more than $119 billion in assets under management worldwide, launched the Henderson Manager of Partners Fund, L.P. at the end of 2006. The fund seeks to raise $200 million of equity and invest with four to six operator partners.

Tradewinds from the Windy City The Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), a futures and options exchange in existence since 1848, launched a new stock index futures contract on Feb. 21. This contract is based on the Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Index (DJUSRE) and is tracked electronically. “Commercial real estate remains one of the largest classes of tradable assets not currently served by an exchange-traded futures instrument,” says Robert D. Ray, senior vice president of business development with CBOT. “Since the underlying instrument is an equity index, it will provide investors with an efficient means to express their views on movements in the real estate market, with the added advantages of transparency, leverage, liquidity and the ability to more efficiently short the market.”