Apples and Oranges: The Power of Equity-Like Risk Measurement

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There is a common saying when comparing unlike things – that comparing them is like “apples and oranges”. Nevertheless, those fruits are usually sold the same way, by weight or by count. Similarly, in this post, we explore how to compare securities across asset classes through the lens of equity-like risk.  Risk is complex. Threats…

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Asia as a source of diversification for global investors

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Diversification was hard to come by for global investors last year. Rising U.S. interest rates sank almost all boats in a coordinated sell-off across capital markets: U.S. equities were down 18.1%, U.S. investment-grade bonds were down 15.6%, nominal Treasuries were down 12.5% and inflation-linked Treasuries were down 11.8%. European assets followed a similar path, with…

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Money Maze Podcast – Asia: The Multi-Asset Class Opportunity Set

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Arjun Raghavan, CEO of Partners Capital, Adam Watson, Partner and Co-Head of Asia Pacific, and Harvey Toor, CIO of Singapore Management University (SMU) are featured on The Money Maze Podcast with Simon Brewer. The conversation explores the investment opportunity set presented by Asia and the importance of a multi-asset class approach to capture it. Topics…

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What is an Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO)?

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What is an Outsourced Chief Investment Office (OCIO)?  A full-service OCIO should offer comprehensive investment program management including an agreed overall investment policy, strategic and tactical asset allocation, portfolio construction, asset manager selection, risk monitoring and management, performance reporting and attribution, and middle and back-office operations. OCIOs are fiduciaries and, as such, must provide assurance to…

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Partners Capital Risk-Managed Endowment Approach (PRMEA)

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Risk management is about knowing what you own. At the simplest level, Partners Capital’s risk management is achieved with our client portfolios through asset class and asset manager diversification and through a deep understanding of what each asset manager is doing. That is the essence of our risk management. Any insights we may have about…

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A Primer on Alternative Asset Classes

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The earliest of financial investments, pre-dating traditional stocks and bonds, were investments in private companies, private property, privately negotiated debt (non-bank loans made to companies, individuals or governments) and commodities like gold, wheat and corn. These private investments came about in a widespread manner in the middle of the 19th century. In the last 100…

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Recession Playbook

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Our Recession Playbook is our strategy for managing your portfolio through the coming few years in the face of a potential global recession. Given that almost all past bear markets have coincided with global recessions, we make little distinction between a strategy for investing through recessions or protracted market downturns. We see them as one…

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