When we hear the term fixed income, most of us think about bonds issued by corporations and various levels of government. In today’s world of low interest rates and prospects of fixed income losses (when yields rise), mortgages may provide an attractive complement to fixed income allocations.
How would your portfolio react to these political events?
As pension funds explore investing in alternative assets such as private equity, real estate, and infrastructure, it is important to understand the vehicles used for these investments. Specifically, compare the use of closed-end funds versus open-end funds along with the relative advantages and disadvantages of each.
As the year begins, it is instructive for pension fund managers and asset allocators to consider various macro risk scenarios that are not base-case predictions but rather relevant considerations for stress testing portfolios. It can be useful to understand how individual asset classes would react under each scenario and the resulting portfolio performance. As part of this exercise, consider the impact on liabilities and whether the risk scenario would induce pension managers to consider a change to asset allocation to suit the new environment.
While fixed income strategies have long been recognized as good sources of cash flow generation, alternative investments (real estate and infrastructure) and equity strategies are other useful options to help meet the needs of pension plans focused on yield-oriented strategies.
In recent months, bond yields have touched generational lows and yet interest in securities that provide a cash yield, continues unabated. This article aims to explain, from a demographic perspective, why this seemingly irrational pursuit for yield will continue for the next several years.
With this comes the challenge of managing currency volatility in an uncertain environment of global macro risks. So what is the best approach to managing currency risk?
In my previous article, I presented a three-step framework that can help us assess which alternatives to include in a pension plan and how much to invest in each.
While plan sponsors aren’t faced with the challenges of charting how light and matter move through the cosmos, asset allocation has plenty of complexity—particularly when you integrate increased use of alternative asset classes.
In the world of pensions and investments, we often find ourselves caught up with the “number.”