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Gunning for diversity, dynamism and due diligence

The new low-return, high-volatility environment requires broadly diversified portfolios, dynamic decision-making and rigorous due diligence, which is beyond the internal capacity of most small funds under $10 billion, warns Russell Investment’s global chief investment officer Peter Gunning. He says smaller funds must decide if it is cost effective and even possible to internally manage investment

Past volatility making way for future steady yields

The role of emerging markets debt is evolving from a return-enhancer to providing some buffer against volatile markets. Emerging markets debt has been one of the best performing asset classes in the last decade but experts say those spectacular returns may be a thing of the past. There are signs emerging markets debt is becoming

Wyoming takes
the passive route

Investors are taking an increasingly sophisticated view of their passive equity allocations, aiming to capture the benefits of a range of risk premiums, while also lowering the volatility and improving the risk/adjusted returns – all at a considerably lower cost than active management. Wyoming Retirement System (WRS) turned to risk-premium mandates as part of a

Ethics not returns drive AP7’s ESG policy

Returns are a secondary consideration to the ethical values of members when framing the socially responsible investment policy of Swedish fund AP7. AP7’s head of communications, Johan Floren, says that the fund is less concerned with socially responsible investment (SRI) as a driver of returns rather than as a reflection of the values and ethics

MSCI improves factor risk modelling for equities

The most recent Barra US Equity Model, USE4, contains some important innovations in factor risk modelling, including the introduction of country risk factors, volatility regime adjustments, and eigenfactor risk adjustments. Amanda White spoke to executive director and head of equity factor model research at MSCI, Jose Menchero, about what that means.