Services Tags: Asset Allocation

Nat Kellogg Speaking at eVestment Institutional Trends Quarterly Webcast 12/5

On Tuesday, December 5, Nat Kellogg, CFA will be joining Nasdaq eVestment’s quarterly Institutional Trends Webcast.

Nat will be providing consultant commentary alongside Nasdaq eVestment’s Russ Elliott, Head of Asset Management, Market Intelligence, and Michele Shauf, Head of Client Experience Strategy, Investment Intelligence. The webcast briefs traditional managers on the state of the global institutional market using eVestment data, covering:

  • Where assets are moving and the key flow drivers by universe and geography
  • Where abrupt changes in flows direction may indicate inflection points
  • Where investors in North America, Europe and APAC are concentrating their research activity, in advance of allocation decisions
  • The state of ESG: AUM, flows and allocator interests
  • New facets of ESG data, including universes ranked by carbon emissions

For more information and to watch the replay, visit the event webpage.

Out of Office: Where Real Estate Markets Stand Today

Commercial real estate is increasingly being dubbed the next shoe to drop as markets assess the fallout from the regional banking turmoil. Amid higher rates and tighter credit conditions, private real estate is now facing the same repricing dynamics that hit the equity and bond markets last year, and while further write downs are expected, the headlines are likely overblown. Fundamental and financing issues are largely concentrated within the office sector — which will likely see a correction over a longer time period but be manageable for most core real estate funds — while other sectors, including industrial and multifamily, are actually set to benefit over the next few years.

This newsletter analyzes the current commercial real estate investment landscape including valuations, fundamentals, debt markets, and private real estate returns.

Read > Out of Office: Where Real Estate Markets Stand Today

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Linsey Schoemehl Payne Speaking at LinkBridge Investors Midwest Annual Meeting 9/21

On Thursday, September 21, Linsey Schoemehl Payne will be speaking at the Midwest Investors Annual Meeting hosted by LinkBridge Investors in Chicago.

Linsey will be joining a panel session entitled, “Institutional Investors Roundtable Discussion,” with several investment professionals, addressing the following question: What type of investment structure are institutional investors looking for and where is the greatest potential for growth?

The Midwest Investors Annual Meeting gathers the world’s leading managers along with institutional and private wealth investors from Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin to learn from and alongside industry thought leaders. For more information, visit the LinkBridge Investors website.

Here to Stay? Fixed Income Opportunities Persist Despite First Quarter Volatility

Going into 2023, one of the primary headlines was the return of “income” to the fixed income asset class. Largely as a result of Fed policy in 2022, yields increased significantly over the course of the year, thus finally offering meaningful income to bond investors. At long last, fixed income could provide all three of its staples to portfolios: diversification, liquidity, AND income. With the Federal Reserve committed to further hikes during the first half of the year, expectations were that the opportunity set would last well into the year.

However, bank failures and the associated fear of contagion have been known to not only fuel volatility in equity and credit markets but send investors to the safety of Treasuries. This dynamic naturally drives prices higher and yields lower as investors look to insulate their portfolios from large drawdowns. That said, the Silicon Valley Bank shutdown coupled with other nervousness around regional banks and then the eventual absorption of Credit Suisse by UBS has not had a significant impact on the outlook for fixed income as of quarter end. After trading inside of 2% since 2020, the yield on the Bloomberg aggregate index closed the first quarter at 4.40%, slightly lower than the December 31, 2022 figure of 4.68% but well ahead of its near-zero value in the years leading up to 2022.

This newsletter analyzes recent market dynamics and the current environment and outlook for fixed income.

Read > Here to Stay? Fixed Income Opportunities Persist Despite First Quarter Volatility

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

Nat Kellogg Speaking at ALTSCHI 2023 Forum 7/17

On Monday, July 17, Nat Kellogg, CFA will be speaking at ALTSCHI,  jointly hosted by the CFA Society Chicago, CAIA Association, and Markets Group July 16–18.

Nat will be moderating a panel entitled, “Increased Appetite for Secondaries Markets,” described as follows: Private equity investors are increasingly turning to the secondary market to find value opportunities while LPs work to boost liquidity. Exposures are being weighed and sold at heavy discounts in sectors such as hospitality, consumer-related, energy, and transportation. These low asset prices also present valuable opportunities for LPs to co-invest alongside managers at more favorable stages of the investment cycle. How can investors take advantage of secondaries to boost returns and what advantages do they provide over individual manager selection?

ALTSCHI brings together leadership from the region’s institutional investor, wealth management, and alternative asset manager community to share views on alternatives as we continue to navigate these volatile times. For more information, please visit the event webpage.

The 60/40 Portfolio Revisited: Back from the Dead?

In response to an inquiry concerning rumors of his demise in 1897, American writer and satirist Mark Twain quipped, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.” This quote may also apply in the case of the 60/40 portfolio and a white paper published by Marquette Associates in late 2021. The piece, entitled, “Is the 60/40 Portfolio Dead Forever?” examined the challenges faced by the popular model consisting of a 60% allocation to diversified equities and a 40% allocation to a broad basket of fixed income securities. These challenges included elevated equity valuations and the prospects of rising interest rates and slowing economic growth. Indeed, both stocks and bonds struggled mightily last year due to these and other headwinds, with 2022 one of the worst on record for the 60/40 portfolio. That said, and amid a strong start to 2023, there are reasons for optimism when it comes to the viability of the model to again generate attractive risk-adjusted performance.

This white paper provides historical context for the 60/40 portfolio, details its current outlook, and outlines ways in which investors can augment the model to achieve desired return targets.

Read > The 60/40 Portfolio Revisited: Back from the Dead?

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

2023 Market Preview: Trail Guide to 2023 Asset Class Performance

As winter takes hold in the northern hemisphere, there are those that choose to escape to warmer climates and those that embrace the season and choose the mountains. Anyone familiar with downhill skiing knows that every ski trail is marked with a shape and color to designate its difficulty. For those unfamiliar with these ratings, the North American system looks like this:


Of course, weather and trail conditions can also impact a trail’s difficulty and must be accounted for when turning down the mountain: environment and terrain matter. Similarly, investment prognostications must recognize the current setting. By now, the environment is all too well known: high inflation, aggressive Fed policy, Russia–Ukraine war, labor supply shortages, and a potential recession. These topics have been covered extensively in recent letters and continue to loom over markets as we start 2023. At a high level, general consensus is that the majority of rate hikes from the Fed are behind us (two are expected for 2023 at time of writing), and inflation will continue to normalize in 2023, thus further supporting the thesis of fewer rates hikes from the Fed over the next year. If a recession comes to fruition, expectations are for it to be short-lived and shallow which reduces the long-term threat to markets.

With this backdrop in mind, we turn our attention to an asset class by asset class outlook for the coming year, assessing the degree of difficulty for each to deliver positive returns in 2023. In some cases, the difficulty will change as the year goes on — similar to trails that are “Most Difficult” for the first half and become more palatable as the journey goes on…which brings to mind a certain trail in Utah that the author found himself on last year that literally had him over his skis…but I digress. Tighten your boots and click into those skis!

Read > Trail Guide to 2023 Asset Class Performance

Download > 2023 Market Preview Report with 100+ additional charts and data, organized by asset class

Watch >  2023 Market Preview Video recording of our research team’s live webinar analyzing last year’s performance as well as trends, themes, opportunities, and risks to watch for in 2023

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs. Marquette is an independent investment adviser registered under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. More information about Marquette including our investment strategies, fees, and objectives can be found in our ADV Part 2, which is available upon request.

2023 Market Preview Video

This video is a recording of a live webinar held January 19 by Marquette’s research team, featuring in-depth analysis of the final months of 2022 and a look ahead at risks and opportunities to monitor in the year ahead. Our Market Insights series examines the primary asset classes we cover for clients including the U.S. economy, fixed income, U.S. and non-U.S. equities, hedge funds, real estate, infrastructure, private equity, and private credit, with presentations by our research analysts and directors.

Download > 2023 Market Preview Report with 100+ additional charts and data, organized by asset class

Read > 2023 Market Preview: Trail Guide to 2023 Asset Class Performance

 

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For more information, questions, or feedback, please send us an email.

The Four Virtues of Private Equity

In classical philosophy we are taught that there are four virtues of mind and character. Given the uncertainty that lies ahead in 2023, it is prudent (pun intended) to revert back to these virtues — as they relate to private equity — to outline a framework that may help investors effectively navigate the market.

  • Prudence: The ability to discern the appropriate course of action
  • Temperance: The practice of discretion, restraint, and moderation
  • Fortitude: strength, endurance, and the ability to confront fear
  • Justice: fairness

Read > The Four Virtues of Private Equity

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.

International Equities: Waitin’ on a Sunny Day

In recent years, international stocks have underperformed their domestic counterparts by a significant margin. Specifically, the MSCI ACWI ex-US index has compounded annual returns at just 3.3% over the last decade through the end of October, compared to an annualized return of 12.8% for the S&P 500 index. This current stretch marks the longest period of relative outperformance on a trailing 5-year basis for either index since the early 2000s.

This newsletter examines a host of factors that have contributed to this pattern of performance, including differences in composition between U.S. and international equity indices, currency movements, and geopolitics and analyzes the diversification benefits of international equity allocations within portfolios despite performance challenges.

Read > International Equities: Waitin’ on a Sunny Day

 

The opinions expressed herein are those of Marquette Associates, Inc. (“Marquette”), and are subject to change without notice. This material is not financial advice or an offer to purchase or sell any product. Marquette reserves the right to modify its current investment strategies and techniques based on changing market dynamics or client needs.