This 279-page compendium of papers, published by CFA Institute Research Foundation, provides a detailed and fascinating look at the history of financial markets. Each section, which has been authored by prominent industry professionals, discusses a different facet of financial markets including risk and return over the long…

The average monthly premium of the Market return over the one-month T-bill return is substantial, as are average premiums of value and small stocks over Market. As the return horizon increases, premium distributions become more disperse, but they move to the right (toward higher values) faster than they become more disperse…

In this paper, Professor Aswath Damodaran examines ways of estimating equity risk premiums (ERP). He begins by considering the economic determinants of ERP, including information uncertainty, perceptions of macroeconomic risk and risk aversion by investors. This is the 11th edition of this paper. It has been produced…

52% of institutions have replaced a derivative product with an ETF (see 1 below). Efficiency, precise exposures, improved flexibility and low cost are all features that have contributed to ETFs assuming a more prominent role alongside traditional derivatives. 

The 2018 Guide to ETFs and Derivatives:

The Page Executive 2018 Banking and Asset Management Salary Survey reveals average salaries and bonuses, by job type and years of experience. Covering compensation levels in front office roles in asset management, including quants, analysts and portfolio managers, and also featuring job functions with debt markets,…

Some veterans of the asset management distribution industry describe the current environment as the most competitive of their careers. Investors are demanding much more, and turnover rates have reached almost 20%, with many firms forced to further institutionalize and professionalize their teams. This latest report, "Talent…

Between the 1980s and the 2000s, the largest ever positive labour supply shock occurred, resulting from demographic trends and from the inclusion of China and eastern Europe into the World Trade Organization. This led to a shift in manufacturing to Asia, especially China; a stagnation in real wages; a collapse in the power…

As more investors seek new sources of returns less correlated with the downward swings of the equity and bond markets, liquid alternative strategies have emerged as one of the more viable, and popular, investment options. Investors and their financial advisors are conditioned to select managers based on the asset class they…

Formal meetings with investment consulting firms can be make-or-break moments for asset managers. Strengthening relationships with consultants and ultimately winning a prized spot on their selective shortlists hinges on a manager’s performance in face-to-face formal meetings.

Our recently released white paper, Best…

This influential paper is Mebane Faber's update to his 2006 version. It incorporates new data from the period 2008-2012. The paper investigates how well the original work has held up since publication. Faber finds that overall, the models achieve equity-like returns with bond-like volatility and drawdowns, which was his…

The latest JP Morgan quarterly "Guide to the Markets" is a bumper 80-page report, packed with charts and tables, illustrating global economic trends, and examining the key drivers of equity and fixed income markets for the period ahead. The accompanying "quarterly perspectives" report is a "guide to the guide". 

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Most investors are familiar with equity index investing, but less so with indexing fixed income. As a result of this lack of understanding, a growing number of publications are questioning the validity of bond indexing.

BlackRock would argue that fixed income indexing transforms a highly fragmented and…

This paper draws on the insights of an array of PGIM investment professionals—as well as leading academics and foreign policy experts—to discuss the most relevant geopolitical themes, the potential winners and losers, and the implications for investors and portfolios.

Now in its fifth year, the 2018 FTSE Russell global smart beta survey provides unique insight into major trends in awareness, popularity and use of smart beta strategies among global asset owners. In 2014, 25% of investors reported no current allocation in smart beta and had no plans to evaluate it in the future, today, it…

Artificial intelligence may be the most transformative and disruptive advancement since the Industrial Revolution. After decades of hype and disappointment, AI is poised to fuel the next wave of innovation, and potentially provide unprecedented opportunities for companies and investors.

Although much factor research focuses on the equity market, the concept and benefits of factor investing apply equally well to the corporate bond market.

Speed read

• Increasing evidence to support factor investing in corporate bonds
• Allocation to multiple factors reduces relative risk; enhancing…

This publication has been authored by CAIA and published by CFA Institute Research Foundation. It provides an overview of alternative investments for an institutional asset allocator or overseer of a portfolio containing both traditional and alternative assets. It is designed to build on the reader’s existing knowledge by…

Hermes discusses the supply chain for cobalt, the impact that cobalt mining can have on indigenous populations, and the increased demand for cobalt in lithium-ion batteries.

Since the turmoil of the financial crisis, investors are navigating a great calm in fixed income markets, however, there is a sense amongst investors that the prevailing period of calm is coming to an end as central bank intervention is withdrawn and investor behaviours subsequently change. Through conducting 79 face-to-face…

Many researchers have studied the relationship between companies with strong environmental, social and governance (ESG) characteristics and corporate financial performance. A major challenge has been to show that positive correlations — when produced — provide explanations for the behavior. As the classic phrase used by…