Study accounts for TIPS, alternatives

PERS logoThe effects of adding TIPS and alternatives to the existing asset mix are being explored in an asset liability analysis conducted for the $53 billion Oregon Public Employees Retirement System by Strategic Investment Solutions.

A presentation from SIS, which looked at five new asset allocation scenarios adding a 5 per cent alternatives allocation, and between a 0.1 per cent and 11.4 per cent allocation to TIPS, showed all except the most conservative mix achieved the actuarial return without accounting for alpha.

Further, reducing the total equities allocation by nearly 10 per cent, achieved through halving public equities and slightly increasing private equities, together with a 5 per cent and 4 per cent allocation to alternatives and TIPS, would yield the same expected return.

A risk/reward analysis was used to point toward an appropriate level of risk/return with the consultant finding generally the Sharpe ratio, or risk/return efficiency was higher for lower return mixes.

With liquidity analysis, and scenario analysis in inflation, deflation, recession and low-return environments, the conclusion was that the ultimate net cost does not suggest taking less risk.

A July presentation to the investment committee will include defining the ALM analyses, refining a potential asset allocation policy (including new asset classes such as the opportunity portfolio, alternatives and TIPS) and adopting a new asset allocation policy.

Sponsored Content

Asset allocation

Asset class target Mix4-1 Mix4-2 Mix4-3 Mix4-4 Mix4-5 current mix
Public equity 46% 19.8% 21.9% 24.2% 31.4% 39.2% 42.9%
Private equity 16% 18.8% 20.7% 22.9% 24.0% 25.0% 19.8%
Fixed income 27% 36.9% 36.9% 31.5% 28.5% 20.7% 25.7%
Real estate 11% 8.2% 10.1% 12.1% 11.0% 10.0% 9.4%
TIPS 0% 11.4% 5.5% 4.3% 0.1% 0.1% 0%
Alts Port 0% 5.0% 4.8% 5.0% 5.0% 5.0% 2.2%
Equity 73% 51.7% 57.6% 64.2% 71.4% 79.2% 74.3%
Expected return 8.61% 7.75% 8.08% 8.42% 8.76% 9.09% 8.61%
Std deviation 12.8% 10% 10.9% 11.9% 12.9% 14% 12.8%
Sharpe ratio 0.44 0.47 0.47 0.46 0.45 0.44 0.44

source: Strategic Investment Solutions

Leave a Comment

Sort content by

Environmental engagement through benchmarking

Engaging real estate fund managers on their carbon footprint will be more easily implemented following the creation of a Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark, the result of collaborative work by a group of 11 of the world’s largest pension asset managers and Maastricht University.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

NEST-eggs incubated ethically through sharia mandate

The UK’s National Employment Savings Trust (NEST) has awarded F&C Asset Management and HSBC Global Asset Management the management of its ethical and sharia mandates.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Most managers set to look outside the US

The managers most in demand by US investors are those with compelling presences in global and emerging markets’ equities, hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, private equity and real assets.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Long-term risks and the human factor for fiduciaries

While risk for investment portfolios has been well-studied in the light of the financial crisis – if insufficiently before – the notion of long-term risk is still underexplored, according to Roger Urwin.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Restrict rebalancing to US stocks and bonds: Morgan Stanley

A more efficient way to rebalance highly diversified multi-asset portfolios – which contain illiquid assets – could be to restrict the rebalancing to exchanges between US stocks and US bonds only, according to new analysis by Morgan Stanley.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Deepwater execs strike oil with safety bonuses

As incongruous as it sounds, executives at Transocean Ltd – the company that owns the Deepwater Horizon oil rig which exploded in the Gulf of Mexico last year killing 11 people – have been paid bonuses for their improved safety performance.mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Previous