Multi-Asset Investing

Despite the accepted fact that a substantial part of the risk and return of any portfolio comes from asset allocation, we find today that the majority of investment professionals worldwide are focused on security selection. Multi-Asset Investing: A Practitioner’s Framework questions this basic structure of the investment process and investment industry.

• Who says we have to separate alpha and beta?
• Are the traditional definitions for risk and risk premium relevant in a multi-asset class world?
• Do portfolios cater for the ‘real risks’ in their investment processes?
• Does the whole Emerging Markets demarcation make sense for investing?
• Why do active Asian managers perform much poorer compared to developed market managers?
• Can you distinguish how much of a strategy’s performance comes from skill rather than luck?
• Does having a performance fee for your manager create alignment or misalignment?
• Why is the asset management transitioning from multi-asset strategies to multi-asset solutions?

These and many other questions are asked, and suggestions provided as potential solutions. Having worked together for fifteen years, the authors’ present implementable solutions which have helped them successfully manage large asset pools.

The Academic Perspective

“Multi-Asset Investing asks fundamental questions about the asset allocation investment processes in use today, and can have a substantial impact on the future structure of the finance industry. It clarifies and distils the techniques that investment professionals need to master to add value to client portfolios.”

—Paul Smith, President & CEO, CFA Institute

“Pranay Gupta, Sven Skallsjo, and Bing Li describe the essential concepts and applications of multi-asset investing. Their treatment is far ranging and exceptionally lucid, and always with a nod to practical application. Buy this book and keep it close at hand.”

—Mark Kritzman, MIT Sloane School of Management

“Innovative solutions to some of the most difficult investment problems we are faced with today. Multi-asset Investing tackles investment issues which don’t have straight forward solutions, but nevertheless are faced by every investment professional. This book sets the standard for investment processes of all asset managers.”

—SP Kothari, MIT Sloane School of Management

The Asset Owner Perspective

“Multi-asset means different things to different people. This is the first text that details a comprehensive framework for managing any kind of multi-asset investment problem. Further, its explanation of the commercial aspects of managing a multi-asset investment business for...read more...