what is pimco pacific investment management co 
pimco or the pacific investment management company is an american investment management firm founded in 1971 in california the firm focuses on fixed income and manages more than 2 2 trillion in assets the firm primarily handles portfolio management account management and business management 1pimco specializes in fixed income securities it manages the internationally known total return fund 2 the company serves institutional investors high net worth individuals and individual investors with its account services and mutual funds understanding pimcopimco was founded in 1971 in newport beach california by bill gross jim muzzy and bill podlich 3 the firm launched with a total of 12 million in assets and the belief that bonds should be actively traded to enhance returns the firm has since expanded to derivatives mortgage based securities emerging markets and other sectors of the global fixed income market it has grown to be one of the largest asset management firms in the world once a unit of pacific mutual life insurance it is now owned by german financial services firm allianz se 4as of 2014 gross had left the firm for janus capital group inc gross heir apparent mohamed el erian also departed 5 in april 2015 former federal reserve chair ben bernanke was hired as a senior advisor to pimco 6pimco s strategiespimco s investment process integrates insights from its cyclical forums which anticipate market and economic trends over a 6 to 12 month period and the annual secular forum which projects trends over a 3 to 5 year period the company says it believes that an informed macroeconomic outlook over long and short term horizons is key to identifying opportunities and potential risks 7pimco s total return fundthe company s total return fund seeks to maximize capital while preserving capital the fund established in 1987 emphasizes higher quality intermediate term bonds and is more globally diversified therefore aiming to reduce concentration risk the fund also has flexibility that helps respond to changing economic conditions 2the fund pays a monthly dividend and covers the u s investment grade fixed rate bond market with index components for government and corporate securities mortgage pass through securities and asset backed securities 2pimco todayas per the company s website pimco has more than 3 050 employees who work in offices throughout the americas europe and asia the company boasts more than 900 global investment professionals and more than 260 portfolio managers as of june 2021 the company managed more than 2 20 trillion in assets 8the company partners with different institutions from corporations central banks private and public pension funds endowments and foundations as well as retirement plans 