Bonds: Born to Be Mild
A 30-year bull market for bonds has come to an end, but this does not make a bear market inevitable, in our view.
read moreReducing the Risk from Adding Stock Exposure
Adding other sources of diversification could significantly reduce the risk from increasing stock exposure, our research suggests.
read moreHow Much Risk Does Adding Stocks Pose?
Investors have good reasons for their recent net increase in stock fund purchases—and good reasons to remain anxious, in our view. While market volatility has returned to normal, memories of the wild market swings of the past five years loom large. Here’s what we think about the risk of increasing stock exposure now.
read moreIs It Time to Get Back into Stocks—or Too Late?
After five years of fleeing stocks for the perceived safety of bonds, US mutual fund investors became net buyers of stock funds in January. While some see the return of the retail investor as a negative indicator for stocks, we say, “Better late than never.”
read moreIn Defense of Commodity Futures
Seth J. Masters and Jon Ruff Several prominent pension funds have slashed their commodity futures investments for delivering poor returns with higher volatility than usual, while failing to diversify equity exposures as expected, The Wall Street Journal recently reported. If inflation rises, they may regret it.
read moreEase the Burden of Managing Risk
Risk remains important for many institutional investors, but dealing with it effectively takes time and energy. How investors approach it should therefore depend on their governance capacity.
read moreStability Still Matters as Investors Embrace Risk Again
By Kent Hargis (Pictured) and Chris Marx After years of chasing safety at all costs, investors are now reaching for opportunities in long-spurned riskier stocks. But they will still want to safeguard their portfolios against painful market swings in the future.
read moreHow Much Hedge Fund Exposure Makes Sense?
Our research suggests that a well-diversified allocation to hedge funds might improve portfolio returns, but their greatest benefit is the risk reduction that comes from their low correlation to stocks. Here’s why.
read moreWhat Did You Learn in 2012?
In 2012, investors worried about the future of the euro, the US fiscal cliff and the emerging-market slowdown…yet stocks still climbed higher. What lessons should we learn from 2012? We’d suggest four key takeaways.
read moreActive Management: Don’t Drop the Pilot
For years, we’ve advised clients to hold diversified portfolios with balanced allocations to stocks, bonds and other assets. Lately, it’s been a hard sell, especially after years of underperformance by active equity managers. But the tide may be turning.
read moreArchives by Month:
- December 2012 (16)
- December 2011 (12)
- November 2012 (8)
- November 2011 (14)
- October 2012 (20)
- October 2011 (17)
- September 2012 (10)
- August 2012 (17)
- July 2012 (15)
- June 2012 (16)
- May 2013 (3)
- May 2012 (13)
- April 2013 (10)
- April 2012 (8)
- March 2013 (23)
- March 2012 (12)
- February 2013 (19)
- February 2012 (10)
- January 2013 (20)
- January 2012 (11)