Roger Urwin, one of the industry’s most well-known proponents of TPA, has defended it against the growing scepticism of its reported performance edge over SAA, saying “TPA is a system” and any performance attribution is difficult to isolate from the broader context each fund operates in. In an interview with Top1000funds.com, he also weighs in on whether some funds are inherently unsuitable for implementing TPA.
GIC has further refined its total portfolio approach by moving to a strategic portfolio focused on underlying factors that drive returns. Split between equities, fixed income and real assets, the revision means the fund can move more easily between private and public exposures and nimbly between asset classes.
CPP Investments has argued that a TPA portfolio has a high chance of appearing to have underperformed when evaluated against traditional SAA benchmarks, even when the underlying investment decisions are sound. In a recent paper, the fund argues TPA portfolios should be judged on a broader scorecard.
Jase Auby, TRS's celebrated CIO, explains why TPA doesn't fit with its culture; why community push back on data centres could turn out to be an investor advantage, and argues the case for continuing to invest in fossil fuels. Top1000funds.com sat down with the CIO in his Austin office for an all-encompassing conversation.
As asset owners grapple with the appropriateness of a total portfolio approach for their fund, new ICPM research has outlined building blocks to be considered in the process including some essential “enablers”, like governance structures, and optional “levers”, like incentive architecture. ICPM managing director Adrian Trollor unpacks the framework.
To navigate rates and inflation uncertainty, OPTrust is leaning into dynamic portfolio construction, actively managed options, and a total portfolio approach supporting the belief that inflation resilience is built into how portfolios are constructed not an individual asset or exposure.
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