Research Publications Archive

Solvency Beyond Relief: Unlocking the Full Potential of SFA Program Assets

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 included substantial relief funds for the most troubled US multiemployer pension plans through its Special Financial Assistance (SFA) program. This paper looks at how multiemployer plans have a unique opportunity to improve their solvency through 2051 and beyond by optimizing how they invest both SFA relief funds and their existing plan assets.

Quantitative Tightening Raises the Risks for Markets

With inflation running at multi-decade highs, monetary policymakers are united in one of the most aggressive tightening campaigns in decades. Most central banks have already significantly increased policy rates this year, and some are unwinding their massive balance sheets, also known as quantitative tightening (QT). In this paper, we review what is known about the current state of central banks’ balance sheets and their operations, discuss some known uncertainties of QT’s impact on financial markets, and consider QT in the context of the current market environment.

Optimizing Wealth Transfer for Families: A Focus on Next Gen Investors

Most families of significant wealth inevitably grapple with intergenerational wealth transitions. While shifting the responsibility for a family’s long-term financial health can be a challenging endeavor, generational transfers are also an opportunity for families to take a fresh look at their financial goals. With this in mind, we advocate a three-part framework for families seeking to integrate members of the next generation into the wealth management process, which focuses on engagement, education, and empowerment.

Will Brazil’s Presidential Election Undercut the Country’s Recent Strong Equity Performance?

No, we don’t think so. While there may be higher-than-typical market volatility around the run-off election on October 30, we expect economic issues will be the primary driver of Brazilian equities in the months that follow. On balance, we see these issues as neither overly positive nor negative and recommend that investors maintain Brazilian allocations in line with their policy.

US Private Equity Looking Back, Looking Forward: Ten Years of CA Operating Metrics

Reflecting on the last ten years of analyses, we have seen the industry continue to evolve, from Private Equity 1.0 to 2.0, marked by increased sophistication in every aspect of finding, analyzing, and operating companies. With this evolution, private equity has also grown in importance and delivered strong absolute and relative returns. Our analyses have highlighted four key themes: private equity outperformed public markets, the tech sector was a clear winner, top-line growth was a driver of superior returns, and small-cap companies continue to demonstrate promise.

Asia Insights: Playing Defense

Asian markets have had a difficult year, but while the current environment has been challenging for most investments, it has also created an opportunity for more defensive and diversifying strategies to add value. In this edition of Asia Insights, we focus on the case for Asia quality strategies within public equities; increased interest in India and Southeast Asia venture capital markets; private infrastructure and private credit as defensive strategies; and the value in Asia macro and equity long/short.

Can the Strong US Dollar Environment Persist?

Yes. The hawkish Federal Reserve and energy market challenges have contributed to a strengthening of the US dollar in recent quarters, and we expect that trends in both factors may continue to be supportive of the dollar in the short term. Nonetheless, on a longer horizon, historical precedents suggest that the dollar is approaching the end of a multiyear bull run.