March 31, 2022

Asset managers have moved en masse towards adopting Article 8 or 9 designations under the EU’s Sustainable Finance Disclosure Regulation (SFDR) framework, introducing new funds and repurposing existing ones. Although the initiative has improved overall levels of disclosure and encouraged managers to enhance sustainability practices, lingering ambiguity around regulatory definitions has created a new set of problems. Recent manager research indicates that a significant number of fund reclassifications could be required if more stringent standards were to come into effect.

• ESG
• Equity
• Operational Risk
• Impact

Read more: One Year On, Have Sustainability Disclosure Regulations Brought Clarity or Confusion?

March 23, 2022

Although infrastructure is renowned as an inflation-sensitive asset class, the reality varies greatly depending on the strategy type and asset-level specifics. Not all ‘inflation-linkage’ is created equal, and not all ‘core’ assets are hardy cockroaches ready to survive the inflationary fallout.

• Private Markets
• Real Assets
• Manager Selection
• Infrastructure

Read more: Will Your Infrastructure Investments Withstand Inflation? The 700 Billion Dollar Question

March 02, 2022

Emerging Market Debt indices staged a significant drop in February. Active managers should have provided some protection against the damage—the average strategy was already underweight Russia at the start of this year. Yet many have faced headwinds, including high transaction costs when selling and losses caused by overweight positions to neighbouring countries.

• Fixed Income
• Emerging Markets

Read more: Ukraine Impact: Are Active Managers Providing Protection in Emerging Market Debt?

March 01, 2022

Last year saw Alternative Risk Premia (ARP) strategies recoup a substantial proportion of the losses endured during 2020—an annus horribilis during which the bfinance ARP manager composite lost more than 10%. With managers seeking to reaffirm their credibility, many have made significant changes in order to improve their responsiveness and resilience.

• Diversifying Strategies
• Alternative Risk Premia

Read more: Alternative Risk Premia Strategies Revive and Evolve after Pandemic Rout