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New era for Barra risk modelling

MSCI’s risk management tool, BarraOne incorporated 31 private real estate models and a macro-factor asset allocation model in 2013 and this year will add global private equity analysis giving it coverage across all asset classes. BarraOne, which is widely used among investors for risk analysis and management, started as an equities analysis tool, but now […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 10, 2014
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A new model of liquidity

The risk-adjusted benefit of being able to rebalance a portfolio is worth tens of basis points, according to new research that assigns risk and return measures to liquidity so it can be analysed alongside other portfolio decisions. The award-winning research is now being used by large sovereign wealth funds, to determine the value they should […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 8, 2014
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Merton’s message: give up on alpha

Nobel Prize winner, Robert Merton, has thrown down the gauntlet. He claims that by focusing on a retirement income goal he can beat any competitor that is managing a 70:30 portfolio that has wealth accumulation as the goal. Do you dare take him on? The defined contribution pension management industry has it wrong, according to […]
Amanda WhiteDecember 18, 2013
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Dry up: how investors assess water risks

The world is running short of water, but what does that mean for investors? Asset owners in the Netherlands and Norway assess and manage the water-related risks in their portfolios, including the measurement of portfolio companies’ water dependence and water security. The drought hitting South Africa’s North West Province sounds another warning shot around the […]
Sarah RundellNovember 8, 2013
Amsterdam 2013

Worst case portfolio keeps HOOPP on track

The enviable surplus of the $47.4 billion Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan, HOOPP, is down to a key focus on what David Long, senior vice president and co-chief investment officer at the fund, attributes to a “single strategic objective:” namely to pay benefits at a reasonable cost to the fund’s 247,000 workers in Ontario’s hospital […]
Sarah RundellOctober 22, 2013
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Disparity in policy portfolio risk profiles

A policy portfolio is a poor reflection of investor preferences, argued Peter Bernstein. This philosophical question has now been empirically tested by MIT’s Mark Kritzman, who shows the inter-temporal disparity of a policy portfolio’s risk profile. He suggests a simple framework for addressing this deficiency. Kritzman encourages investors to replace rigid policy portfolios with flexible investment policies. […]
Amanda WhiteJuly 17, 2013
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