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The ABCs of Hedge Funds: Alpha, Beta and Costs

This hot-off-the-press revised version (March 30) of The ABCs of Hedge Funds, which decomposes returns into three components – systematic market exposure (beta), value-added by hedge funds (alpha), and hedge fund fees (costs) –  includes data up to the end of December 2009. Among other things it finds the universe of hedge funds produced a

Decision making in the pension fund board room

This research examines the extent to which decision-making by pension fund trustees is affected by behavioural biases, by using a vignette-method field experiment among Dutch trustees. It finds that trustees display choices that accord with the phenomenon of loss aversion and allow their choices to be affected by the forces of social comparison: the reserve

Do managers walk the talk?

Research by Mercer and the IRCC Institute looks at the investment horizon of active long-only equity managers across different geographies and styles, examining the mismatch between the time-horizon over which managers think and say they invest and how they actually invest. It gives some insight into the causes, consequences and possible solutions to short-termism.

Why credit matters

In this updated paper, Janus expands on the emerging themes in the fixed income market, highlighting that important factors in 2010 include rising interest rates, spread tightening and the US government’s support of the mortgage market, which all have potentially serious implications for yield-seeking investors.