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

Believe it or not: US managers indicate record bullishnes

Professional money managers expect a considerable bounce from the current market lows, and they anticipate this swing to take place sometime next year, according to the latest Investment Manager Outlook, a quarterly survey of investment managers conducted by Russell Investments. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

CalPERS appoints first woman CEO

CalPERS, the US$182 billion Californian public pension fund, has promoted its CIO to the vacant role of CEO – Anne Stausboll becomes the first woman to run the fund in its 77-year history. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

CIC’s Gao tips US dollar to resume decline

He has not gone public very often with his views, but when he does Gao Xiqing, president of China Investment Corporation (CIC), is sure to be heard. He spoke out this month with a range of opinions including his expectation that the US dollar would resume a downward trend soon. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2

Predictive power found in manager culture assessments

Quantitative measurements of the culture of funds management firms can provide indications of the future success of those companies and also their ability to retain personnel, a study by researcher InvestmentQ finds. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

DB fund deficits blow out to near $100b for the month

America’s 100 largest corporate pension funds haemorrhaged US$95 billion in November alone, the highest monthly losses of 2008, after interest rate cuts and asset losses owing to global financial turmoil. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3

Beware the health of your managers

Funds management is largely a fixed-cost business and with assets declining sharply due to both markets and redemptions, many managers are under financial pressure. Investors beware. mrec4inarticleinline Sponsored Content scnative1 scnative2 scnative3