Strategic allocation

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Concentrated markets: Implications for active management, manager research, and multi-manager capital allocation

Members of our Fundamental Factor Team share research insights on the portfolio impact of benchmark concentration and highlight tools that may help, including extension strategies, passive-share analysis, and index-completion approaches.

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18 min
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2025-12-31
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A guide to investing in the age of anxiety

There's a long list of issues worrying asset owners, from geopolitical risk to high valuations. To help, Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger offers coping tips for an uncomfortable investment backdrop and a world where investing rules of thumb may be broken.

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15 min
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2025-12-01
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Don’t let recency bias get in the way of good investment ideas

Tim Antonelli, Head of Multi-Asset Strategy – Insurance, offers ideas to help insurers avoid being anchored to recent events and build portfolio resilience, from locking in higher yields to taking a more dynamic approach with surplus assets.

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2025-11-30
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“Goldilocks” and the three drivers of hedge fund outperformance

Members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group explain why shifting economic conditions may bode well for hedge funds broadly but also see reasons that manager selection may be more important than ever.

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2026-11-30
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Setting ROAs for 2025: A guide for US corporate and public plans

How are pension plans adjusting their ROA assumptions? And how do those assumptions line up with our long-term capital market assumptions? Find out in this annual update.

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2025-11-30
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Why more corporate plans should pass on pension risk transfers

LDI Team Chair Amy Trainor explains why she believes a pension risk transfer may, in many cases, not be the best choice for fully funded plans from a cost/benefit standpoint.

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2025-11-30
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Extra credit for corporate plans: Advanced topics in LDI implementation

To help corporate DB plans refine their liability-hedging strategies, members of our LDI Team take a deep dive on 3 key liability risks and offer ideas to help improve the design of hedging portfolios.

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2026-08-31
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Private placements: A primer for corporate DB plans preparing to derisk

With many corporate DB plans exploring derisking opportunities, Portfolio Manager Elisabeth Perenick and Multi-Asset Strategist Amy Trainor discuss the potential role that private investment-grade credit, or private placements, could play and consider common questions about liquidity and allocation sizing.

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2025-08-31
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Does the US election even matter? Thoughts on politics, Fed policy, and portfolios

What's next for interest rates and what impact will the US election have? Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger and Macro Strategist Mike Medeiros share their outlook and discuss the asset allocation implications.

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2025-06-30
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The AI effect: Time to rethink your technology exposure?

Will AI fulfill the market's high expectations? Will it continue to drive market concentration? Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger and Global Industry Analyst Brian Barbetta, co-head of our Technology team, discuss the outlook and the asset allocation implications.

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2025-07-31
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The evolution of derisking: Assessing new and time-tested liability-hedging ideas
As defined benefit plans contemplate the best path to their eventual “end state,” members of our LDI team update their liability-hedging research with a blend of traditional benchmark ideas and new opportunities to capitalize on changing market conditions and a broader investment universe.
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2026-06-30
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Investing in “3D”: Forces shaping alternatives opportunities in 2024

Multi-Asset Strategists Adam Berger and Nick Samouilhan offer six ideas from the hedge fund and liquid alternatives investment space, from global macro to multi-strategy approaches.

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2025-06-30
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Insurance Quick Takes: One regulator's view of geopolitics’ impact on the industry

In our latest Insurance Quick Takes video, Tim Antonelli, Head of Insurance Multi-Asset Strategy and Portfolio Manager, discusses why a recent stress test from a regulator could have implications for insurers across the globe.

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2025-06-30
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Factors to consider when allocating to US small-cap stocks

From avoiding "junk" to holding on to "graduates," members of our Fundamental Factor Team share their research insights on the pursuit of alpha in the small-cap space.

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2026-05-31
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Value stocks: Rules of thumb are meant to be broken

What will it take for value stocks to bounce back from a long period of underperformance? Members of our iStrat Team say that, conventional wisdom aside, it's not all about the economic cycle and offer their outlook for the next three to five years.

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2026-05-31
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Structuring core fixed income: A constructive view on market and macro conditions

Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger and Fixed Income Portfolio Manager Connor Fitzgerald discuss the interest-rate environment and the fundamental picture in investment-grade credit and high yield.

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2025-05-30
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New era demands a nimble approach to credit

Our expert explains why deep research and an active approach are effective ways for fixed income investors to uncover credit opportunities in today's market.

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2025-05-31
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What could change the trajectory of value stocks?

Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger and Equity Portfolio Manager Nataliya Kofman discuss “resilient” value stocks, disruptive themes, and attractive sector- and country-level opportunities.

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2025-05-31
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Small-cap stocks: Watching for mean reversion, technology diffusion, and the next inflection point

Our experts discuss factors that could help small-cap stocks rebound and the search for winners in this inefficient segment of the market.

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2024-12-31
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Can hedge funds play the role?

How should investors select the most suitable types of hedge funds for specific roles? Members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group offer a simple and intuitive framework that can help.

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2025-03-31
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Picking the right building blocks for a climate-aware portfolio

For asset owners integrating climate change into their multi-asset portfolios, members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group offer five important insights.

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2025-04-30
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A blueprint for building climate-aware multi-asset portfolios

Members of our Investment Strategy & Solutions Group take a deep dive on the issues asset owners should consider when choosing climate-aware portfolio building blocks, from the evolving opportunity set to the active/passive decision.

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2026-03-31
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Insurance Quick Takes: What's next for CLO risk charges?

Tim Antonelli, Head of Insurance Multi-Asset Strategy and Portfolio Manager, breaks down the impact of recent US insurance regulatory developments on the CLO universe, and why this matters for U.S. insurers. 

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2025-03-31
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Using defensive equities in a return-seeking portfolio: A factor framework for corporate plans

Members of our LDI and Fundamental Factor teams share their views on defensive equity investments, including their role in a plan's portfolio and the current environment for defensive factors.

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2025-03-31
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How to nurture a growth mindset in a higher-yielding landscape

In a higher-yield world, can fixed income deliver meaningful growth? John Mullins, Supriya Menon and Alex King explore how high-yield bonds may offer a powerful opportunity for growth - as well as a cushion against uncertainty.

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2025-03-31
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Managing currency exposure in multi-asset portfolios: how to weigh the trade-offs and impact

Nick Samouilhan, Head of Multi-Asset Strategy – APAC, evaluates the trade-offs of different currency hedging approaches and offers a novel framework for gauging their potential portfolio impact. 

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2026-02-28
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Top 5 fixed income ideas for 2024

With central banks set to pivot to accommodative policy, and elevated yields still prevailing, we think fixed income offers compelling opportunities. Here we share our top five ideas.

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2025-02-28
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Top of Mind: The allocator’s checklist for 2024 and beyond

Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger offers near- and longer-term ideas for allocators, including thoughts on areas where capital is scarce, alternatives may be attractive, and risks may bear watching.

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2025-01-31
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Multi-Asset Market Outlook

To help think through the asset allocation outlook and implications for 2023, we offer views from iStrat, our investment strategy and solutions group

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2024-12-31
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Navigating a volatile reality: three ideas for 2024 and beyond

2023 saw investors grapple with a new, more volatile reality. How should portfolios be positioned for opportunities and challenges in 2024? 

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2025-01-31
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Why income-seeking investors need to look across asset classes

Income plays an even more crucial role in portfolios than many of us realise, contributing a significant portion of returns for multi-asset portfolios. But with cash rates at around 5%, the world of income has changed. This should prompt investors to take a fresh look across asset classes to see where opportunities lie. 

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2024-12-31
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Learning to love (or live with) a late-cycle environment

Are we actually in a late-cycle environment and, if so, how should allocators respond? Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger offers guidance, including on portfolio positioning, big cycle bets, and security selection.

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2024-12-31
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Rebalancing a multi-asset portfolio: A guide to the choices and trade-offs

Many investors wrestle with portfolio rebalancing decisions, particularly in volatile environments. In this paper, members of our Investment Strategy Team argue for a well-structured rebalancing policy and share research on different approaches and common implementation considerations.

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2025-12-31
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2024 Insurance Outlook: Position portfolios for the unexpected

Tim Antonelli offers two critical ideas for insurers' 2024 investment planning: doubling down on diversification and rethinking risk, including geopolitical and default risk.

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2024-12-31
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Beyond China: what does the rest of the EM equity world have to offer?

For investors contemplating a separate allocation to EM ex-China equities, members of our iStrat Team share their research on the composition of the opportunity set, the growing divergence in the behavior of EM ex-China equities and Chinese equities, and the long-term market outlook.

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2025-11-30
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Income investing in multi-asset portfolios: Tipping the balance in your favour

Income can play a crucial role in the pursuit of investment objectives over time, but research from our iStrat Team argues for a balanced approach to asset allocation decisions given the potential trade-offs between income and capital return, risk, and portfolio diversification.

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2024-09-30
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Role, risk, and residual alpha: A framework for manager research

With many asset owners revisiting their strategic asset allocation and considering changes in their investment line-up, Director of Manager Research Kat Price and Head of Multi-Asset Strategy Adam Berger offer their views on manager selection best practices.

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2024-08-31
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Mind the liquidity (and cost) gap: Revisiting a plan’s hedge-ratio approach

Members of our LDI Team take a fresh look at the process of setting and managing liability hedge ratio targets, including liquidity considerations that are top of mind today and the implementation toolkit.

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2025-06-30
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Is your asset allocation ready for the realities of climate change?

Our Investment Strategy Team shares key findings from the research behind their climate-aware strategic asset allocation (SAA) approach, including challenges and trade-offs that asset owners should understand.

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2025-06-30
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Time for a new playbook on bonds

Is it time to add to fixed income allocations? Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger and Fixed Income Strategist Amar Reganti offer their views, as well as thoughts on specific areas of opportunity.

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2024-05-31
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Is the structural case for inflation still intact?

Even if inflation cools in the coming months, members of our Investment Strategy team expect it to be "stickier" over the long term. Find out how that might impact asset allocation decisions.

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2024-05-31
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EM equities: Can they prove the doubters wrong?

Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger offers six reasons that EM equity performance could be much more compelling in the decade ahead, from attractive valuations to economic tailwinds to mean reversion in the US dollar.

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2024-05-31
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Closing the return gap: A new set of “stepping stone” ideas
Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger offers incremental, flexible investment ideas that can be combined to help asset owners pursue their goals amid declining capital market return expectations.
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2024-08-02
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The alpha equation: Balancing active risk sources in multi-asset portfolios

Members of our iStrat Team share their research on the process of deciding how much active risk to take at the asset class and security levels in pursuit of alpha objectives. They also offer a step-by-step framework for implementing the research findings.

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2024-04-30
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Designing a climate-aware strategic asset allocation

Members of our Investment Strategy Team explain how they incorporate climate metrics into their asset allocation optimization process. They also discuss implementation — the choice of specific climate-aware building blocks and strategies to express the desired asset allocation.

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2024-04-30
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Integrating climate change into capital market assumptions: our approach and findings
Members of our Investment Strategy team explain how they are incorporating climate-related inputs, including physical and transition risks, into their capital market assumptions and outline the impact of these changes at the asset-class level.
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2024-04-30
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Adapting our capital market assumptions to the realities of climate risk

How will asset prices be affected by climate risk? Members of our Investment Strategy team explain how they're seeking to answer that question with their new climate-aware capital market assumptions.

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2024-04-30
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Using market-implied regimes to help build more resilient portfolios

Markets may fluctuate between different regimes, but how exactly should those regimes be defined? Our iStrat Team offers research on their market behavior-based approach and explains how it may aid in constructing portfolios that are better able to withstand the ups and downs of different environments.

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2024-03-31
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The churning tides of portfolio liquidity: How to avoid being left high and dry

Markets have sent asset owners some strong reminders of the need to think about liquidity risk across a portfolio and to plan for uncertainty. To help, Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger proposes a framework based on the intended uses and sources of liquidity.

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2024-02-29
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EM evolution: New paths in equity portfolio construction

Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger offers a framework for structuring EM equity portfolios, with a focus on "EM 3.0" — differentiated active strategies that have less reference to cap-weighted benchmarks and may be more diversifying in a portfolio.

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2024-01-31
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The denominator effect: Thoughts on the rise in private equity allocations

The sharp drop in public markets has left many asset owners with above-target exposure to private assets, raising a number of governance questions. Multi-Asset Strategist Adam Berger considers the likely responses and their potential pros and cons.

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2024-02-29
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Demystifying decumulation: A practical guide

Investors seeking a sound decumulation strategy must consider a host of variables, including risks that weren't on the radar when they were accumulating assets.

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2023-04-30
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