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December 10, 2021

Inflation, Low-yield Environment, and the Digital Boom: Repositioning Portfolios for the Next Decade

The global economy continues to be challenged by the lingering effects of the pandemic, a strain on the supply chain, rising inflation, and the fixed income conundrum.  In the meantime, the digital assets industry has grown from US$ 300 billion in 2020 to almost US$ 4 trillion.  What are the key themes for 2022?  How should investors and managers evolve to succeed in the next decade?

Join a panel of experts who will express their views on the economy, financial markets, and more.

Moderator:

Marat Molyboga, Ph.D., CFA, Chief Risk Officer, Director of Research, Efficient Capital Management

Panelists:

Kathryn Kaminski, Ph.D., CAIA, Chief Research Strategist and Portfolio Manager, Alpha Simplex

John Linder,  CFA, CPA, Managing Director, Business Development, SLC Management

Michael Stendler, Managing Director, O’Brien Investment Group

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December 3, 2021

Customization of Data in Private Markets

The private markets are in the midst of a dramatic, two-pronged shift. First, investors are pouring money into this asset class as they hunt for alpha and opportunities to diversify. And second, private assets such as real estate, infrastructure, private equity, and private debt are increasingly becoming commoditized as they become available to more retail channels. This is all great news for asset managers and asset owners in the private markets. But are they ready for it?

A crucial factor in the changing nature of private market investing revolves around data. Managers need to become more effective and efficient at managing, analyzing, and reporting on the vast quantities of complex and unstructured data related to existing and prospective investments. Improvements in these areas could be a significant driver of alpha, but more pressingly, asset owners are demanding it. They need greater transparency on holdings, the investment process, costs and on sustainability criteria, placing tremendous strain on the existing reporting capabilities of many asset managers.

Join our panel of experts as they discuss these data challenges and share findings from State Street’s recent survey of 170 asset owners and managers in the private markets. Learn how a comprehensive data strategy, one that spans front-to-back office and public-to-private markets, can help investors successfully navigate this market.

Moderator:

Marianne Oar, Managing Director, Private Markets Product Manager, State Street

Panelists:

Mark Filstrup, Senior Vice President, Head of Platform & Alternatives Architecture, AllianceBernstein

Jennifer Tribush, CAIA, Senior Vice President, Global Head of Alternatives Product, State Street

Tom Vogt, Vice President, Customer Success, Mercatus

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November 19, 2021

ESG Integration: Drivers, Best Practices, and Performance Reporting

While accusations of “greenwashing” continue to make headlines, global regulators are ramping up efforts to set standards for and provide oversight of ESG performance/reporting metrics. The pressure is on for asset managers to effectively integrate and demonstrate ESG best practices; but what exactly does that mean operationally? How can fund managers and investors alike best integrate ESG into processes such as performance metrics, reporting, manager due diligence, and internal scoring systems?

Join us as we analyze the results of a new survey by Vidrio Views, and explore the various implementation considerations from both a manager and allocator perspective.

Moderator:

Tamara Close, Managing Director and Founder, Close Group Consulting

Panelists:

Manuela Cedarmas, CFA, APFI, Head of ESG & Impact Strategies, Investcorp-Tages
Neal Howe, Partner and Director of Investment Solutions, Welton Investment Partners

Joe Mizzoni, Investment Manager, abrdn

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November 5, 2021

Optimizing Investment Alpha through Customized Completion Portfolios

Following the post-2008 influx of institutional capital into alternatives, customized account structures were the solution to investors’ growing appetite for liquidity, transparency, and flexibility to manage a portfolio according to specific rules and exclusions.  Today, customized solutions go beyond the ability to deliver a more liquid and transparent account structure: investors are seeking partnerships with managers who can collaborate on portfolio analysis and offer even greater flexibility to meet portfolio objectives.  As investors consolidate their alternatives portfolios, reducing the number of managers they allocate to while maintaining or increasing their overall exposure to alternatives, there is an increased focus on operational efficiency and the role of strategy performance/risk characteristics in the context of an investor’s overall investment portfolio.

Join us as we explore the various implementation considerations in terms of finding the right “mix” of complementary strategies, risk management, and operational efficiency from both a manager and allocator perspective.

Moderator:

Stefanie Frese, Managing Director, Capital Solutions, Barclays Investment Bank

Panelists:

Chris Jones, PhD, Managing Director, Portfolio Solutions and Research, Graham Capital LLP

Ela Karahasanoglu, CFA, CAIA, Total Fund Management (TFM) & Alternative Investments Advisory, Former Head of TFM, British Columbia Investment Management Corp. (BCI)

Judy Posnikoff, PhD, Managing Director, Martlet Asset Management

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October 29, 2021

New Generation of Alpha Customization

Customized solutions designed to manage investment and operational risks are evolving at a brisk pace. The superior technology and expertise essential to ensuring right-sized operational expenditures is the hallmark of managed accounts. These solutions are straightforward, accessible, and known to generate alpha for investors.

Groundbreaking technological advancements are giving rise to a new generation of customized solutions.  Join our panel of forward-thinking experts as they unveil the unstoppable technological evolution that is fostering sweeping change in the alternative investment industry.

Moderator:

Graham Jones, Director, Scotia Bank

Panelists:

Daniel MacDonald, CFA, Head of Advisory & Pensions, Middlemark Partners

Jonathan Planté, CAIA, Director, Business Development, Innocap Investment Management Inc.

Wei Xie, Director, Co-Head of Multi-Strategy Investments, OPTrust

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Friday, August 13, 11am-12pm EDT

“Managed Futures, Macro, and Beyond… Taming Risk in a Rapidly Changing Environment”

It’s well known that managed futures and macro hedge fund managers invest across multiple sectors and trading instruments in the global markets. They express a variety of market views on the political climate, the economy, and interest rates, using a wide range of investment strategies to invest in equities, fixed income, commodities, and foreign exchange – either long or short – while managing a vast amount of volatility and risk.

Today’s challenging investment environment is punctuated by the global pandemic, the prospect of inflation, dismal fixed income markets, and a focus on ESG. What are the drivers of managed futures and macro themes today?  How will managers express their views of what’s to come and manage the risks along the way?

Join an outstanding panel of experts for a riveting discussion about how their strategies evolve to continuously seek out undiscovered alpha opportunities.

Moderator:

Chad Martinson, CAIA, Co-CIO & Managing Director, Investments, Efficient Capital Management

Panelists:

Jeremy Gatto, Senior Vice President, Portfolio Manager, Cross Asset Solutions, Unigestion

Grant Jaffarian, Portfolio Manager, Crabel Capital Management

Igor Yelnik, Chief Executive Officer & Chief Investment Officer, Alphidence Capital Ltd.

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Friday, July 30, 11am-12pm EDT

“Cryptocurrencies:  Where Do We Go from Here?”

Summer headwinds – Cryptocurrencies’ prices are down 50%+ from May highs. Regulation chatter has increased. China has banned bitcoin mining. Is this the start of another crypto winter or a pause in the evolution of the cryptocurrency market?  Under the surface, venture capital prices remain firm. Coinbase went public and still trades with a market cap of $45 Billion.  Fidelity is aggressively adding to their crypto staff.  Money managers continue to file in preparation of crypto ETFs.

Join an exceptional panel of experts for a deep dive on the latest developments and how allocators should be thinking about the risks and rewards of digital currency investments.

Moderator:

Scott Army, Managing Director and Chief Investment Officer, Galaxy Vision Hill at Galaxy Digital

Panelists:

Nico Cordeiro, Chief Investment Officer, Strix Leviathan

Tracy Fong, Partner, VC/Crypto, Albourne Partners.

John J. O’Brien, CAIA, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager, O’Brien Investment Group

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Friday, July 23, 11am-12pm EDT

“Investing in the New Commodity Supercycle: A Generational Demand Shock Meets a Decade of Under-Investment”

Commodities are arguably the most under-invested asset class of the last decade. Today, however, given their value in inflation protection, portfolio diversification, and alpha generation, many investors now find themselves playing catch-up. The next commodity supercycle has begun.  Spurred on by a generational demand shock post-COVID, and further enhanced by a “build it back better” green transition, infrastructure spending plans are accelerating in both developed and emerging markets.

Join a distinguished panel of experts as we explore various way to add commodity exposure to portfolios for positive outcomes in both investment performance and environmental impact.

Moderator:

Herman Laret, Director, Risk Parity, Global Macro, CTA, and Multi Strategy, Titan Advisors

Panelists:

Tim Pickering, Founder & Chief Investment Officer, Auspice Capital Advisors

Mark Raskopf, CFA, Portfolio Manager, Head of Tactical Trading Strategies, Russell Investments

Steven Wilson, Director, Stable Value Hedge Funds and ACWI Beta One, Teacher Retirement System of Texas

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July 9, 2021

Crisis Protection 2.0: Optimizing Liquid Alternatives for Crisis Returns and Long-Term Returns

A wide range of strategies may be used to diversify equity risk, each with their own unique set of performance characteristics in terms of long-term return, crisis return and consistency of crisis protection.  Meanwhile, there is no “one size fits all” solution, and investors often face challenges in achieving reliable equity crisis protection without sacrificing persistent alpha.  Investors may be contemplating cutting duration risk and strategically repositioning allocations with the objective of building a portfolio of complementary convex strategies that can deliver both crisis protection and robust long-term returns.  Here we explore the various implementation considerations for managing such a portfolio in terms of risk management, operational efficiency, and cost-effectiveness from both a manager and allocator perspective.

Join us as we discuss various considerations related to equity tail risk mitigation and contemplate ways to achieve consistent crisis protection without creating a terminal drag on returns during “normal” market environments.

Moderator:

Michael Ide, Hedge Fund Investment Due Diligence Analyst, Albourne America LLC

Panelists:

Nicolas Dang, CFA, FRM, CAIA, Manager – Absolute Return, CN Investment Division

Brandon Gill New, CFA, Senior Portfolio Manager, Multi Strategy Investments, OPTrust

Edward Tricker, PhD, Chief Investment Officer, Quantitative Strategies, Graham Capital Management

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Austin 2021 Virtual Conference, Spring Series of Webinars

Smart Portfolio Construction & The Benefits of Diversification

May 14, 2021

Opportunities in Cryptocurrencies Beyond Buy and Hold of Bitcoin

Bitcoin now has a $1 Trillion market cap. Where ever you may be in the evolution of your thinking about cryptocurrencies, it has become too big to ignore, and some say warrants an investment allocation. Should that position be buy and hold of Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) in a HODL position, or are there opportunities in trading BTC and ETH?  How about exchange traded futures instead of the cash market – or options where implied volatilities are sky high? Maybe a diversified basket of top tier cryptocurrencies and a smaller one of tokens. Or a basket of funds with different risk return profiles.

Join an outstanding panel of forward-thinking professionals for a fresh look at the many opportunities to consider as we put a spotlight on the risks and rewards of digital currency investments.

Moderator:

Chris Solarz, CFA, CPA, CAIA, Managing Director, Cliffwater LLC

Panelists:

Andrew Chen, Portfolio Manager, Absolute Return Strategies, Lockheed Martin Investment Management Company

Joe Mitchell, Portfolio Analyst, Digital Assets, and Director of Communications, Efficient Capital Management

John J. O’Brien, CAIA, Chief Executive Officer and Portfolio Manager, O’Brien Investment Group

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April 9, 2021

It’s Not Enough to Be Different: Achieving True Diversification in an Increasingly Correlated World

Diversification is one of the most fundamental principles of investment management. As long-term investors, asset managers internalize this concept, and constantly work to ensure that their portfolios are sufficiently diversified. There are thousands of investment offerings that aim to fill the need for something “different” that can help diversify away from traditional market beta. But is it really enough to just be ‘different’? With ever-climbing cross-asset correlations, crowding, and increasingly prevalent black swan events, it’s critical to identify strategies that can outperform when their category, and the broader market, suffers.  Join us to discuss why ‘different’ alone isn’t enough and how to create strategies that ensure true diversification and outperformance.

Moderator:

Diane Miller, Principal, Diversifying Alternatives Boutique, Mercer Investments

Panelists:

Derek Drummond, CAIA, Portfolio Manager, Funds Alpha, State of Wisconsin Investment Board

Misha Malyshev, Chief Executive Officer, Teza Capital Management

John Twomey, CAIA, Head of Research, Abbey Capital Limited

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April 23, 2021

Investing in a Low Interest Rate Environment

Moderator:

Marat Molyboga, Ph.D., CFA, Chief Risk Officer, Director of Research, Efficient Capital Management

Panelists:

Susanne Gealy, Senior Director, Investments, Treasury, CommonSpirit Health

Paul Kreiselmaier, CFA, Head of Hedge Funds, Verus Investments

John Linder, CFA, CPA, Managing Director, SLC Management

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March 2021

More Art than Science: The Critical Importance of Qualitative Due Diligence

Moderator:

Aaron Filbeck, CFA, CAIA, CIPM, FDP, Director, Global Content Development, CAIA Association

Panelists:

Ranjan Bhaduri, President, Gryphon Capital Management, LLC

Keith Black, PhD, CFA, CAIA, FDP, Director, Managing Director, Content Strategy, CAIA Association

Esther Zurba, CAIA, Director, Castle Hall

Customization is Key: Delivering Bespoke Solutions to Institutional Investors

Santa Monica 2020 Virtual Conference, Fall Series of Webinars

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November 13, 2020

Dealing With Unpredictable Markets – What New Solutions Are There?

Moderator:

Ranjan Bhaduri, PhD, CFA, CAIA, Founder, President & CEO, Bodhi Research Group

Panelists:

Brian Broadway, President, Gryphon Capital Management, LLC

John Linder, CFA, CPA, Managing Director, Business Development, SLC Management

Judith Posnikoff, PhD, Managing Director, Martlet Asset Management

Rafael Silveira, Phd, Executive Director – Head of Client Solutions North America, LGT Capital Partners

Macro Strategies: Exploiting Their Power to Protect a Portfolio

October 2020 Virtual Conference, Fall Series of Webinars

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October 2, 2020

Macro Strategies: Exploiting Their Power to Protect a Portfolio

Moderator:

Chris Solarz, CFA, CPA, CAIA, Managing Director, Cliffwater LLC

Panelists:

Grant Jaffarian, Portfolio Manager, Crabel Asset Management

Anoosh Lachin, PhD, Portfolio Manager, Aspect Capital Limited

Ryan O’Grady, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, ROW Asset Management

Justin Young, CAIA, Senior Investment Officer, South Carolina Retirement System Investment Commission

Innovative Portfolio Solutions with Alternative Strategies & Structures

Toronto 2020 Virtual Conference, Summer Series of Webinars

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Opportunities in Dislocated Assets

Moderator:

Kunjal Shah, Chief Investment Officer, Lyxor Asset Management

Panelists:

Jane Segal, CFA, Portfolio Manager, External Managers, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP)

Danilo Simonelli, CFA, Managing Director, External Managers, Capital Markets, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan (OTPP)

Jean-François Tormo, CAIA, Portfolio Manager, Head of Global Portfolio Solutions – U.S., Lyxor Asset Management