The Swiss fund manager Partners Group, which specialises in what it terms 'private markets' – private equity, property, debt and infrastructure funds – shifted its portfolio significantly towards North America in the first half of the year, it said this morning.

Partners Group said today that during the first six months of the year the amount of money it manages rose from €24.8bn to €26.4bn. But of that, 52% was invested in North America as of June 30, up from just 36% at the end of 2011.