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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

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

Scale and skill in active management

This paper by the Becker Friedman Institute for Research in Economics at the University of Chicago finds that the active management industry has become more skilled over time. But despite this rise in skill, average fund performance has failed to improve. To access the paper click below Scale and skill in active management  

Smart beta versus smart alpha

With the advent of smart beta it was only a matter of time before the appropriate use of “smart” was analysed and questioned. A paper to be published in the forthcoming summer 2014 issue of The Journal of Portfolio Management looks at the active choices of smart beta strategies and how and when they can

Pension risk in DC funds

Defined contribution plans focus too much on the short-term accumulation of pension assets rather than the longer-term goal of securing an adequate retirement income. This paper by the World Bank, based on case studies from a number of countries, argues that pension supervisors have not properly defined the objectives of DC pension systems It suggests

Australian industry degraded by inflated fees

The Australian superannuation industry is often quoted as among the world’s best. However a new report by the Grattan Institute reveals Australian funds charge on average three times the OECD median rate. The report says that superannuation fee reform is the biggest opportunity for micro-economic reform in that country’s economy. The report, Super sting: how