All articles by Lynn Strongin Dodds – Page 3
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Asset Class ReportsPortfolio strategy – Hedge funds: macro bets on
Global macro funds should do better in the current market environment – but not all will thrive and investor due diligence will be key
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FeaturesPerspective: Songs strike a chord
A welter of recent private market deals and artists’ catalogue sales have moved music income strategies into the mainstream
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Special ReportIndex design: do your research
Thematic exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are not new but over the past year those with a sustainability and technology slant have captured the imagination. Inflows have surged but investors are advised to be vigilant and judiciously examine the index construction and approach. As past events have shown, it is too easy to be caught off guard by rebalancing or by stocks that may not fit the bill.
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Special ReportSemi-transparent ETFs: balance and confidence
For now, active semi-transparent or non-transparent exchange-traded funds are likely to remain unique to the North American and Australian investment markets; their European counterparts appear reluctant to take the plunge, although some industry experts believe this will change in time.
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FeaturesBriefing: Bonds on the blockchain
Bitcoin’s wild ride has been hard to ignore this past year. However, it has mainly attracted its stalwart audience of retail investors, family offices and hedge funds. Institutional investors mostly sat on the sidelines, although interest has been piqued. Digital assets, most notably bonds and not cryptocurrencies, are likely to garner the inflows owing to the comfort of regulation and established market infrastructure.
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Features
Briefing: Credit-risk niche gains interest
In a world of prolonged low interest rates, institutional investors are scouring different pockets of the investment landscape to generate additional returns. One area is capital regulatory transactions, which are far from new but are being put under the microscope for their potential as part of an alternative credit portfolio. However, these transactions can be more complex than other alternative credit asset classes and require specialist expertise, skills and understanding.
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Asset Class ReportsHedge funds and distressed debt: Competition for assets will be fierce
Hedge funds will have to compete with private equity and credit funds for distressed opportunities following the pandemic
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Special ReportGetting what you pay for
Price wars are nothing new for passive asset managers, but the contest has been particularly intense in the exchange-traded funds (ETF) space as new and existing players jostle for position. While low cost is always a draw it is clearly not the only factor in the investment decision process.
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Features
Briefing: Timing is everything in distress
After an extended period in the wilderness, distressed debt funds – bereft of opportunities because of ultra-low interest rates and economic buoyancy – are back in the spotlight with large players coming to the market.
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Asset Class ReportsCredit: Interest grows in Chinese bonds
Foreign investors are finding Chinese government bonds increasingly attractive
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Special ReportFactor investing: Keeping a distance from single factors
The fluctuations of single factor returns have bolstered multi-factor strategies
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AnalysisEquities – Innovation frenzy in race for survival
Companies must cope with today’s unprecedented pace of technological disruption and rapidly evolving consumer expectations to stay in business
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Special ReportThe buy-side: Greater focus on quality
There is growing demand for research that genuinely adds value
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Special ReportLiquidity & Implementation: Woodford fallout renews focus on ETF risks
The recent suspension of redemptions from Neil Woodford’s Equity Income fund is a cautionary tale and one that has further sharpened the spotlight on the liquidity of mutual funds, a category that includes exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
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Special ReportInnovation: What could disrupt ETFs?
Over the last two decades, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) have been one of the most disruptive forces in the asset management industry. But could the tables be turned? In an era of excitement over the possibilities of financial technology (fintech), are ETFs vulnerable to being displaced themselves?
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Special ReportRare earths: The building blocks of tech
Everything from batteries, visual displays, catalytic convertors to military hardware are reliant upon rare earths in their production. Unfortunately, investment opportunities in rare earths are not as widely available as their potential uses
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Special ReportCredit default swaps: A bridge too far
The practice of managed defaults – in which otherwise solvent companies deliberately default on their debt – has prompted moves towards tighter regulation
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Features
Briefing: Guidance for valuation of ILS
Valuation has always been an important, albeit thorny, component in assessing insurance-linked securities (ILS) but the higher-than-expected losses in 2017 and 2018 made the number crunching even trickier. The recently published set of guidelines from the Standard Board of Alternative Investments (SBAI) is designed to improve the process but investors should always be aware of the risks attached to this asset class.
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Special ReportPublic Markets: Hard to pin down
A mishmash of blurred definitions and terminology borrowed from ESG and sustainability is marring the progress of impact investing in public markets
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Special ReportStrategy: Factor rotation hits record pace
Tilting between factors could work well in this environment
