On January 20, Kelli Schrade, director of manager research, was quoted in a FundFire article on U.S. equities manager search and asset allocation. The article reported on a recent Cerulli Associates survey of asset management executives that see go-anywhere strategies, alternatives and U.S. equity as the investment products most important for boosting assets under management in the near future.
Kelli explained that, from the perspective of institutional investors, these products are not just trendy — they also have the potential to generate the highest returns in the current market environment. “[These are] the buzzwords in the industry right now: multi-asset, go-anywhere, unconstrained,” she added. “It’s also a product of a problem we’ve been anticipating — where are we going to get returns from? Which asset classes are going to drive portfolio growth over the next year or even five years? It’s international opportunities, alternatives and U.S. equity.”
Despite coming off an almost uninterrupted six-year bull-run, domestic stocks are still attractive for growth exposure due to the lack of better equities options. Asset management executives resoundingly echoed this sentiment, with 79% classifying U.S. equity as “very important” for their firm’s growth and the remaining 21% calling the asset class “somewhat important” in the survey. “There are two things everyone agrees on,” Kelli concurred. “One is that the U.S. equity slice matters. The other is the importance of asset allocation.”
For more of Kelli’s views on U.S. equities, view the 2016 Market Preview Briefing webinar.
For Kelli’s views on multi-asset products, read highlights from the recent FundFire article. Kelli cautioned that many products labeled as “multi-asset” may actually be just rebranded stock-bond strategies, and stressed the importance of fiduciary education.
To read the article, visit the FundFire website (subscription required).
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