Benchmarking infrastructure a step closer

The first valuation and risk measurement model created for unlisted infrastructure debt has been developed, with the release of a paper showing the valuation of illiquid infrastructure project debt, taking into account its illiquidity and the absence of market price feedback, can be done using advanced, state-of-the-art structural credit risk modelling. The paper by EDHEC-Risk

Real estate sector continues to lead on sustainability: GRESB

This year’s Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) reveals that sustainability reporting has improved in coverage and quality of data, with the average overall score increasing due to increasing implementation and measurement. The average score is now 47 (out of 100) which is up nine points this year. The benchmark collects data from 637 listed

UniSuper’s domestic equities bias

John Pearce recently notched up five years in the role of chief investment officer at the $37 billion Australian fund, Unisuper. Here he explains his fund’s bias to domestic equities and explains the parameters of the fund’s in house management program. David Rowley reports. John Pearce has a side bet with a member of his

The changing nature of fixed income

As the fixed income asset class undergoes rapid change and the opportunity set expands, unconstrained bond funds have become popular. But as this article examines, with that expanded opportunity set comes new considerations including a wider risk/return spectrum among managers.   Trends in the global investment universe tend to come around every six months or

A ‘Sharper’ approach to factor premiums

There is a shift towards allocating to the factor premiums momentum, value and low volatility. However, since common factor indexes are a suboptimal way to harvest factor premiums, this paper shows the improved results of a more sophisticated approach. Factor strategies developed by Robeco lead to higher returns, while lowering the risks, resulting in higher

The investment model for asset owners: is there a best-practice version?

In the last of a series of articles exclusively for conexust1f.flywheelstaging.com, Roger Urwin, head of global content at Towers Watson examines the asset owner investment models that are recognised as best practice, questioning whether there are patterns to the models of success. The best-practice investing model could either involve how you do it or what