portfolio construction

The oh-so-popular post-war 60/40 portfolio is worn out - passé. So say many asset allocation strategists. The alternative is 60/40/20: equities, bonds and alternatives. Nay, says Zoltan Pozsar, strategist at Credit Suisse. The future is the 20/40/20/20 portfolio, consisting of cash, equities, bonds and commodities. He explains why in his formidable analysis War and Peace.

Qontigo has already built more than ten thousand indices, commissioned by asset owners such as APG and Willis Towers Watson and asset managers such as BlackRock. Institutional investors increasingly want a customised index that is in line with their own investment objectives, according to Arun Singhal of Qontigo.

Investors have a greater need for insight, transparency and control, he explained. “That’s what “we” have in everyday life too. So why not about our investments?”

Institutional investors are increasingly turning to hedge fund strategies in response to low bond yields and high-priced equity markets. Some investors are building hedge fund allocations for the first time, while a second group is refining and improving existing hedge fund allocations, according to international independent investment consultancy bfinance in a recent report. 

The research firm notes that hedge fund portfolio construction has changed against a backdrop of increased uncertainty, given the pandemic and its macroeconomic consequences.