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How to use smart beta

While smart beta is a much-talked about concept, implementation is slow. Part of the reluctance of investors is the risk of sustained underperformance, but that can be overcome by matching portfolio liquidity requirements with factor cycle duration. Amanda White speaks to Michael Hunstad, head of quantitative equity research, global equity management, at Northern Trust. Sustained […]
Amanda WhiteJanuary 28, 2015
Research

The real factor exposures in “smart beta” indexes

Investors relying on nomenclature of smart beta indexes as an accurate reflection of their factor exposures should take a closer look. New research, using a “factor efficiency ratio”, finds that most smart beta indexes are unable to provide desired factor exposures without taking on substantial unintended exposures. Importantly the paper finds that some smart beta […]
Amanda WhiteDecember 12, 2014
Research

Breaking down emerging markets active returns

New research by MSCI shows a rare insight into whether the factor phenomenon, driving development market equities beta, is at play in emerging markets. The research uses the Barra Emerging Markets Equity Model to look at the drivers of performance of emerging markets, and analyses the returns of active emerging market managers to identify the […]
Amanda WhiteNovember 21, 2014
Uncategorised posts

Why long-horizon investors should adopt factor-based asset allocation

Long-horizon investors can withstand macro-economic volatility and so should tilt towards strategies that are exposed to that, including value, small cap and momentum. Oleg Ruban, vice president in the applied research team at MSCI says this validates factor-investing and factor-based asset allocation for these investors.   Appropriate asset allocation requires explicit attention be paid to […]
Amanda WhiteOctober 3, 2014
Strategy

Pushing smart beta further

The rise of smart beta has just got another boost thanks to a study commissioned by Norway’s ministry of finance for its Government Pension Fund Global. It asked index provider MSCI to look into the feasibility of running smart beta strategies for large portfolios. Very few institutions with the size of GPFG’s $400-billion equity portfolio […]
Sarah RundellMay 29, 2013