Research Report

The recent peak of interest around goal-based allocation as a useful and practical framework to assist with complex asset allocation problems within the wealth management community, has led to MSCI implementing a goal-based asset allocation application which sits within WealthBench. This paper illustrates the benefits that the new Goal Metrics application will bring to financial advisors and their clients. The intuitive nature of our asset-liability methodology, allows financial advisors to...

Risk Management Analytics

Research Report

This Product Insight introduces the Multi-Portfolio Attribution model in BarraOne. For Asset Owners investing in pension plans, Asset Managers investing in asset allocation portfolios and fund-of-fund managers who all invest across multiple asset classes, strategies and managers, the model captures the following results in a single analysis: the performance of both the Strategic Asset Allocation (SAA) and the investment portfolio; how much value was added by tactically deviating from the...

Portfolio Management Analytics Risk Management Analytics

Research Report

Since the 2008 financial crisis, major central banks have purchased $9 trillion of bonds in efforts to reinvigorate the global economy. We focus on the impact of the ECB’s Corporate Sector Purchase Program. We find evidence that it has been a significant force in driving euro spreads tighter and stimulating corporate issuance. We examine the impact of the ECB program on a hypothetical credit value strategy investing in euro-denominated corporate debt. The analysis highlights how the portfolio...

Research Report

Leveraged loans have emerged in the last decade as an attractive alternative to the typical high yield bond allocation. In periods of low and rising interest rates, the floating coupon of a leveraged loan portfolio offers an appealing combination of income and low duration. Indeed, loans have outperformed high yield bonds on a risk-adjusted basis in the recent past. As senior, secured obligations of corporate borrowers, loans also typically exhibit a high recovery in the event of default, and...

Risk Management Analytics

Research Report

Low volatility is one of the few factors that have historically performed well in turbulent markets. Moreover, over long periods of time, this defensive strategy has produced a premium over the market, contravening one of the most basic theories in finance — that one should not be rewarded with greater returns for taking less than market risk. Since the global financial crisis hit in 2008, low volatility has garnered increased attention from institutional investors. In this paper, we explore...

Indexes

Research Report

Ever since central banks slashed interest rates in response to the Global Financial Crisis, many institutional and retail investors turned to high dividend-paying equities to meet their needs for income. However, a naïve high-yielding equity strategy can expose itself to various “yield traps,” such as those stemming from temporarily high earnings, high payouts or low stock price. We find that the yield factor has tended to perform well during a structurally low and rising interest rate...

Indexes

Research Report

This quarterly Risk Monitor for Asset Owners reports on the risk and return behavior of five representative pension plans. This edition reports on Q1 2014.  We present the performance and risk of assets during the past year and past quarter, adding in liabilities to examine funding status and surplus risk. We apply stress tests and show the effects of the scenarios on both the asset portfolios and funding status.  Finally, we present the evolution of risk and return of the...

Risk Management Analytics

Research Report

MSCI’s recent announcement that it will add 222 China A shares to its key benchmarks raises practical questions for global and emerging market investors: How does it affect their investment policy? How can they implement these exposures (whether or not they already have China A shares in their portfolios)? While inclusion of China A shares is a year away, institutional investors may want to start planning for how this change may affect their portfolios.  Longer term, if China continues...

Indexes

Research Report

The Credit Risk Transfer (CRT) programs from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac aim to shift mortgage credit risk from the Enterprises to private investors, with cumulatively $2.8 trillion loans covered so far. To facilitate these capital market transactions since 2013, the Enterprises have disclosed about 20 years of monthly credit performance data on almost 50 million loans, with a detailed voluntary prepayment history, delinquency and foreclosure status data, as well as an actual loss breakdown....

Risk Management Analytics

Methodology

Indexes