Global Asset Management

This book focuses on all major aspects of the asset management industry including its regulations, strategies, processes, applied technologies and risks. It provides a serious resource for readers seeking greater depth and alternative opinions on specific industry developments, and breadth for specialists interested in the dynamics of the industry.

Build an agile, responsive portfolio with a new approach to global asset allocation Adaptive Asset Allocation is a no-nonsense how-to guide for dynamic portfolio management. Written by the team behind Gestaltu.com, this book walks you through a uniquely objective and unbiased investment philosophy and provides clear guidelines for execution. From foundational concepts and timing to forecasting and portfolio optimization, this book shares insightful perspective on portfolio adaptation that can improve any investment strategy. Accessible explanations of both classical and contemporary research support the methodologies presented, bolstered by the authors' own capstone case study showing the direct impact of this approach on the individual investor. Financial advisors are competing in an increasingly commoditized environment, with the added burden of two substantial bear markets in the last 15 years. This book presents a framework that addresses the major challenges both advisors and investors face, emphasizing the importance of an agile, globally-diversified portfolio. Drill down to the most important concepts in wealth management Optimize portfolio performance with careful timing of savings and withdrawals Forecast returns 80% more accurately than assuming long-term averages Adopt an investment framework for stability, growth, and maximum income An optimized portfolio must be structured in a way that allows quick response to changes in asset class risks and relationships, and the flexibility to continually adapt to market changes. To execute such an ambitious strategy, it is essential to have a strong grasp of foundational wealth management concepts, a reliable system of forecasting, and a clear understanding of the merits of individual investment methods. Adaptive Asset Allocation provides critical background information alongside a streamlined framework for improving portfolio performance.

This book focuses on all major aspects of the asset management industry including its regulations, strategies, processes, applied technologies and risks. It provides a serious resource for readers seeking greater depth and alternative opinions on specific industry developments, and breadth for specialists interested in the dynamics of the industry.

The dynamics of the asset management business are complex and geographically diverse. Products and vendors compete within and across markets and often shade into each other. Regulation can differ dramatically according to financial systems and functions. Here are discussed the major asset management sectors—pension funds, mutual funds, alternative investment vehicles, and private wealth management. Despite the complexity of the industry, common threads run through the discussion—growth, risk, and cost—that cannot be ignored by asset managers hoping to be sustainably profitable. What is required to excel includes distribution in leading markets, product breadth and consistency, global money management expertise, and capital strength. Also needed are technological capability, marketing and customer service skills, defensible pricing, low-cost production, and a strong brand. All these characteristics must be rooted in an affirmative culture with cohesive senior management and a talented and motivated staff.

Introducing currency considerations into portfolio analysis has implications for the manner in which the underlying assets are evaluated. This monograph provides a unified framework for analysis of global asset markets.

Praise for Investment Management "A compelling analysis of the challenges of investment management, and why investment management firms require innovation to succeed." —Blake Grossman, CEO, Barclays Global Investors "Great investment managers understand that positioning portfolios for clients should not be an act of conformity, but rather a constant journey of shifting fundamentals and opinion. Wayne and Ralph bring this fact to life by addressing some of the key challenges to serious investment thinking, using top-level researchers in their respective fields. For those investment managers and clients who want to go beyond the ordinary." —Jeff Diermeier, former CEO of CFA Institute and retired CIO of UBS Global Asset Management "The essays in this book provide an invaluable reference point of serious readings for money managers. The works provide the analyst with the most recent scholarship in a single book, presenting ideas and philosophy that will lead me back to its various sections time and time again." —Kenneth S. Hackel, CFA, President, CT Capital LLC "The crash of 2007–2009 brought a harsh conclusion to a quarter of a century of unprecedented growth and prosperity for the investment management industry, which faces no less a task than reinventing itself. Rieves' and Wagner's contribution to the way forward couldn't be timelier." —Richard Ennis, Principal, Ennis Knupp + Associates "This book uniformly focuses on the best practices to which investment management professionals should commit. I highly recommend this book to investment managers, sales people, and trustees of pensions, endowments, trusts, and mutual funds." —Jack Clark Francis, PhD, Professor of Economics and Finance, Bernard Baruch College

In Asymmetric Returns, financial expert Alexander Ineichen elevates the critical discussion about alpha versus beta and absolute returns versus relative returns. He argues that controlling downside volatility is a key element in asset management if sustainable positive compounding of capital and financial survival are major objectives. Achieving sustainable positive absolute returns are the result of taking and managing risk wisely, that is, an active risk management process where risk is defined in absolute terms and changes in the market place are accounted for. The result of an active risk management process-when successful-is an asymmetric return profile, that is, more and higher returns on the upside and fewer and lower returns on the downside. Ineichen claims that achieving Asymmetric Returns is the future of active asset management. Alexander M. Ineichen, CFA, CAIA, is Managing Director and Senior Investment Officer for the Alternative Investment Solutions team, a key provider within Alternative and Quantitative Investments, itself a business within UBS Global Asset Management. He is also on the Board of Directors of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst Association (CAIAA). Ineichen is the author of the two UBS research publications In Search of Alpha—Investing in Hedge Funds (October 2000) and The Search for Alpha Continues—Do Fund of Hedge Funds Add Value? (September 2001). As of 2006 these two reports were the most often printed research papers in the documented history of UBS. He is also author of the widely popular Absolute Returns—The Risk and Opportunities of Hedge Fund Investing, also published by John Wiley & Sons.