UVa endowment now losing money at less-feverish rate

The University of Virginia’s endowment pool lost $14 million in January, less than half the $30 million it lost in December.

In a way, the endowment pool’s January loss is a sign of recovery from the $280 million loss reported in November and the roughly $1.3 billion that has evaporated since July.

The endowment pool investments are currently valued at $3.8 billion, down from $5.1 billion at the end of June, according to reports from the University of Virginia Investment Management Co., the firm that handles the school’s investments.

January’s report shows that the university has beefed up its government bond holdings from $268 million at the end of December to $537 million at the end of January, accounting for 14 percent of the pool’s value. The report also shows cash and currency holdings are down from $348 million in December to $90 million in January, or roughly 2 percent of the pool’s value.

Nationwide, colleges and university endowments have bled money since the middle of last year with many of the largest endowments, such as those at Yale and Harvard universities, losing billions in value.

UVa recently ranked No. 20 on the National Association of College and University Business Officers’ annual list of the country’s largest higher education endowments. That list reflects the endowment values as of June.