Category: Newsletter

Emerging Markets: The Case for Sub-Asset Class Diversification

March 2014 Investment Perspectives

The purpose of this newsletter is not to debate whether one index provider’s methodology is superior to another index provider’s; there are several papers in the market place that expertly do this in great depth. Rather, we wish to highlight that given the broad choice of core equity EM mandates that are available in the marketplace, investors should look to be on the same definitional page as their chosen or desired asset manager(s) as to what constitutes “emerging market” exposure.

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Emerging Markets: A Crisis of Confidence

February 2014 Investment Perspectives

After a disappointing 2013 and a significant sell-off to begin 2014, many investors are questioning their ongoing allocations to emerging markets (“EM”). Since 2013, EM countries have consistently underperformed their developed market counterparts, with equities losing 8.8% and local currency debt declining 12.5%. This compares to the S&P 500 and the EAFE which have returned 27.2% and 20.1%, respectively, over the same time period.

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2014 Market Preview

January 2014

Similar to previous years, we present our annual market preview newsletter. Each year presents new challenges to our clients, and 2014 is no different: We are coming off a banner year for U.S. equities, low interest rates continue to stymie fixed income investors, and while developed market equities enjoyed a strong 2013, emerging market stocks sputtered. In the alternative space, real estate and hedge funds proved accretive to portfolio returns, while growing dry powder in the private equity space is starting to raise a few eyebrows.

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The State of Real Estate: Location, Location, Location…Where Are We?

October 2013 Investment Perspectives

Core real estate has been an attractive investment since the market’s recovery began in the first quarter of 2010. In this three-and-a-half-year period, the NCREIF Property Index (“NPI”) has returned a stunning 50.7%. Given this 13.1% three-year annualized return and unrelenting appreciation gains reported quarter after quarter, investors may wonder if they are too late to enter into private real estate or if their current investments are poised for a downturn. This newsletter will address these very issues by examining the health of the real estate market as suggested by the key indicators of performance, fund leverage and cash balances, transaction volume, asset values, income environment, and investor appetite.

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Navigating the Low Rate Environment for Healthcare Organizations

September 2013 Investment Perspectives

Despite the recent increase in long-term interest rates, the low rate environment is now more than four years old and continues to create challenges for investors. While interest rates are notoriously volatile the current low rate environment and negative real yields on risk free securities is unprecedented in its duration. Given the Federal Reserve’s clear indication that it will not raise interest rates until there is a substantial drop in unemployment or increase in inflation, it appears the current low rate environment is unlikely to change in the near future. While this creates challenges for all institutional investors, it creates a unique set of challenges for non-profit health care organizations (“HCOs”).

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Global Tactical Asset Allocation

July 2013 Investment Perspectives

At Marquette we work with clients to construct portfolios that minimize risk while generating desired rates of return commensurate with overall program goals. These allocations are strategic in nature and designed to generate acceptable rates of return over long periods of time by assembling a diversified set of asset classes. These allocation decisions are meant for long term performance and, as a result, tend to be fairly static. Allocations are rebalanced to maintain desired risk and return targets but are fairly steady regardless of market conditions.

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Public vs. Private Real Estate Investments

June 2013 Investment Perspectives

Given the rebound in real estate values the last three years, many investors are either renewing or increasing their allocations to the asset class. Considering the overall low interest rate environment, real estate offers a much more compelling yield than most bonds these days, to say nothing of the appreciation component of real estate returns over the last few years. Due to the revitalized interest in the asset class, we feel it is an appropriate time to re-visit the different methods by which to access real estate for institutional investors.

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Passive Strategies Gaining in Popularity

March 2013 Investment Perspectives

Index-based investment strategies, those that passively invest with the goal of replicating the return pattern of a specific benchmark, were first created and marketed to investors beginning in the early 1970s. The well-known financial concept known as Efficient Market Hypothesis was developed earlier in the 1960s and postulated that it was not possible for an investor to consistently beat market returns on a risk-adjusted basis over time since market prices incorporate all available information. The adoption of this hypothesis by the finance community certainly contributed to the proliferation and validation of passive strategies.

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Is Risk Parity Right for Your Portfolio?

February 2013 Investment Perspectives

Driven by volatile equity markets, falling interest rates, and heightened aversion to portfolio losses, interest in risk parity has skyrocketed over the last three years. Unfortunately, the risk parity investment thesis is not always understood by investment committees and trustees, which can contribute to sub-optimal portfolio decisions. In the following newsletter, we address the salient points of risk parity to help educate investors so they can determine if it is an appropriate allocation for their portfolios.

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2013 Market Preview

January 2013 Investment Perspectives

In the following articles, we will take a closer look at critical issues for each asset class in 2013. Each article contains insightful analysis and key themes to monitor over the coming year, themes which will underlie the actual performance of the asset classes covered. Articles are offered for the following asset classes: fixed income, U.S. equities, non-U.S. equities, hedge funds, real estate, private equity, and infrastructure.

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