While it is only natural to crave safety after periods of intense volatility, we do not believe investors should respond to recent market declines by panicking, scrapping their policy portfolio, and hunkering down in cash (with the obvious exception of excess cash necessary for near-term capital call, spending, and other liquidity needs).
This report discusses the upcoming implementation of the new “mark to market” (“fair value”) accounting standard. It provides a brief review of the broader accounting and auditing context and examines the probable effects of FAS 157 on long-only equity and fixed income managers, hedge funds, and non-marketable investment funds (private equity, venture capital, real estate)….
A summary of our views on the questions and issues which those responsible for managing an endowment must resolve if they are to invest the assets effectively.
Our letter to the Senate Finance Committee regarding their January 24, 2008, inquiry to large colleges and universities.
This expansive report discusses our approach to strategy allocation by providing the basic framework for allocation decisions, the key return drivers and investment backdrops in the core marketable alternative strategies, and recommendations for program construction. It also contains a performance review of the five core marketable alternative strategies: long/short equities, distressed securities, convertible arbitrage, merger…
In July 2006 the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants issued a “Practice Aid” to guide the auditors of institutions with investments in alternative assets. This report reviews the key elements of auditing alternative investments and provides advice on steps endowments should consider in their 2007 audit, which will most likely be more difficult than…
While virtually all asset classes look expensive, the decision to hold cash (or implement a derivatives-based hedge) is more complicated than it appears.
This report on asset allocation in the current environment is the fifth in what has evolved into a series of occasional papers on the evolution of the secular bear market in equities and our thoughts on how investors can best cope with the prevailing uncertainties. While recognizing that conditions could certainly remain benign for some…
This paper examines various approaches to social investing, explores whether social investing is incompatible with fiduciary responsibility, and outlines steps necessary to develop a social investing program.
“Cleantech” provides an evolving investment opportunity that could potentially offer lower correlation to and different risk characteristics than traditional investments. This report presents an overview of the investment outlook for cleantech investing as well as analysis of market size and growth potential; performance characteristics; major risks; and implementation considerations, among other factors.