With emerging markets beginning to slow, investors are concerned that these once high-flying economies may fall victim to the slowdown in the U.S., Japan, and Europe...more...

There are many biases in peer groups, some of which can be controlled. But one obscure bias just won’t go away, and it’s raising havoc with investment manager evaluations...more...

In a July 15, 2008 interpretative letter, the SEC staff clarified that Rule 206(4)-3 (the “Cash Solicitation Rule”) under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 (the “Advisers Act”) does not apply to a registered investment adviser’s cash payments to a person solely...more...

Inflation is everywhere. Not just at the petrol pump, at the supermarket, or in inflation features on the front pages of newspapers, these worries are also growing amidst policy makers and consumers, leading to concerns being voiced ever more loudly...more...

In recent months the dollar has hit historic lows, and we are witnessing the results...more...

The first and last requirement of good investment management is to have the interest of the investor and the interest of the manager be one and the same...more...

New or Emerging Fund Managers, defined loosely as those managers who are less than 36 months old,  appear to outperform older more established managers by up to 400 basis points per annum...more...

This week, Part 5 looks at the positives that arise from high commodity prices, and the need for the financial services industry to acknowledge the imbalances it has wrought in the commodity markets...more...

This week, Part 4 looks at what constitutes market manipulation in commodities and the securitization of commodities...more...

This week, Part 3 looks at current causes of pricing issues in hard assets, and offers a brief, recent history of economic problems related to OTC derivatives...more...

This week, Part 2 looks at modern finance based on an assumption called “rational expectations equilibrium,” and the financial models that are derived from it...more...

The mysterious case of the commodity conundrum is sure to illicit passionate debate on either side of the equation – is the commodity boom due to speculation or fundamentals? By the time you read this, a battle in this dispute will have taken place on April 22, 2008 with the CFTC roundtable on agricultural markets...more...

It’s no secret that the economy is in a slump, and that Americans are keeping a closer eye on how much they spend. But while shoppers may be more cautious, they are still hitting the malls and going online for bargains...more...

To steal a line from the Bard, to regulate or not to regulate, that is the question—when it comes to hedge funds, that is. Think back to the recent SEC efforts—that were rejected by the court in late 2006—to register hedge fund managers. Since then, an impassioned debate on whether and how to regulate the industry has ensued...more...

This speech was prepared for the IQPC Base Metals Investment Summit 2008 in New York City on April 2, 2008. For a copy of the PowerPoint presentation, contact Managed Account Research, Inc., Tel: (800)308-1495...more...

Max King, Strategist at Investec Asset Management, gives his personal view on current market turmoil...more...

The word on the street is recession. In spite of the increasingly present indicators showing the U.S. economy’s 2+ quarters of economic decline, the word recession is used rarely and gingerly among skittish investors...more...

In response to last week’s cover story by Mark Kramer and Sarah Cooch on “The Power of Strategic Mission Investing”, CTS Strategic Investments has addressed the concerns and impediments associated with Mission Investing and public equities....more...

As an emerging investment management firm, CTS Strategic Investments, LLC has been gaining a great deal of traction and market responsiveness with the recent launch of our proprietary socially responsible investment (SRI) management solutions....more...

An-depth interview with Sharath Sury, CEO and founder of Chicago based S4, a multi family office, reveals that, contrary to popular opinion, active managers, particularly hedge funds, aren’t generating the precious alpha they are highly compensated for...more...

To steal a line from the Bard, to regulate or not to regulate, that is the question—when it comes to hedge funds, that is. Think back to the recent SEC efforts—that were rejected by the court in late 2006—to register hedge fund managers. Since then, an impassioned debate on whether and how to regulate the industry has ensued...more...

Following record high yield issuance earlier this year, primarily due to leveraged buyouts (LBOs), junl bonds have experienced a liquidity crisis since July after news. This resulted the sub-prime sector malaise and the high profile meltdown of two Bear Stearns hedge funds...more...

James Stuart, COO of Ativo Capital rebuts Robbie Robertson’s piece “Fiduciary Responsibility Supersedes Politics When Selecting Emerging” from our inaugural issue in May 2007.more...

In the first article of this three-part series about managed futures we alluded to concerns about the intricacies of adept CTA performance evaluation. This article further explores that topic.more...

One of the main attractions of emerging managers to plan sponsors and fund-of-funds platforms is their freedom to manage without the restrictions that often accumulate inside a corporation.more...

Many of us who manage absolute return investments have wracked our brains trying to figure out why so many institutional investors are infinitely comfortable allowing equity and fixed income allocations to dominate their portfolios.more...

Despite political posturing, former trustee and president of the $ 1.2 billion Professional Firefighters fund only "sees green" when it comes to selecting emerging managers, who are minority owned. Robbie Robertson has seen posturing filter down to the pension boards, as to whom they select as money managers or consultants, but at the end of the day, he only considers the needs of the fund.more...