Fiscal year 2021 saw a continuation of the strong rebound in risk assets, which had commenced in second quarter 2020. This was facilitated initially by positive news from COVID-19 vaccine trials, and then ultimately by their gradual rollout, which established a path back toward economic normality. Meanwhile, both fiscal and monetary policy remained at extremely accommodative settings.
While alpha is commonly recognized as a key lever in maintaining or improving funded status, it is often mistakenly limited to purely equity or lower-liquidity investment opportunities. For plan sponsors, this can be a costly misconception. Cambridge Associates’ research shows that active fixed income management can contribute valuable alpha, resulting in significant benefits to plan outcomes.
No. While the ongoing regulatory crackdown on technology companies in China is unsettling markets, it is not specifically targeting foreign investors.
This report, based on a survey that Cambridge Associates administers annually to our foundation clients, summarizes returns, asset allocation, and other investment-related data for 112 foundations for the year ended December 31, 2020. Included in this year’s report are commentary and exhibits across six sections: Investment Portfolio Returns, Investment Policy, Portfolio Asset Allocation, Investment Manager Structures, Payout from the Long-Term Investment Portfolio, and Investment Office Staffing and Governance.
No, not yet, as just over 10% of last year’s performance was realized.
In just the last five years, total US institutional assets under management by Outsourced Chief Investment Officers has continued to grow steadily, and is projected to reach nearly $2 trillion in 2021.
Investors are increasingly pursuing climate change–related agendas for both better investment outcomes and alignment with their stakeholders’ beliefs. This paper provides a high-level overview of the net-zero investing topic and considers practical implementation options for investors.
Annual distributions from the endowment are a source of supplemental operating revenue for most endowed institutions. An institution’s endowment spending policy provides a basis for the calculation of the annual distribution, serving as a bridge that links the long-term investment portfolio and the enterprise. The data and analysis in this report review the various spending rule types used among our endowed clients. Also included are analysis on the endowment’s support of operations and effective spending rate.
No. While the Federal Reserve’s discussion of tapering asset purchases signals a shift toward tighter monetary policy, both the Fed and markets learned valuable lessons from the 2013 Taper Tantrum; the impact on bond yields should be limited.
The Foundation Annual Flash Statistics Report provides a first look at the results of our 2020 Foundation Annual Investment Pool Returns survey. Included in the analysis are a summary of investment pool returns, asset allocation, and returns after spending for 112 foundations. Additionally, the report provides detailed data by institution on asset allocation. Look for our full annual analysis in the upcoming Foundation Annual Investment Pool Returns report.