Understanding key global mega trends is vital when you're constructing portfolios intended for use in 10-15 years. Every four years, the US National Intelligence Council issues a future-looking report about global trends, based on research across all the US intelligence agencies. This report contained the surprising prediction (considering the authors) of the demise of US power and the rise of the East...

Having experienced some of the most difficult market conditions in 50 years over the past 12 months, it was an ideal time to review our asset allocation strategies and how we go about investing for clients. This Masterclass focused on the latest ideas from academia and leading edge practitioners, the lessons we should take away from the GFC experience, and how we should go about formulating our investment strategy going forward? Delegates left this Masterclass with a thorough understanding of some new approaches to asset allocation, how markets should perform in this new environment, and the key things to monitor along the way...

The business, economic and investment landscape of the 21st century will be defined by the Big Rapidly Industrialising Countries, in particular Brazil, Rusia, India and China. Delegates left this Emerging Markets Masterclass with a deeper understanding of the global emerging markets and their growing role in investment portfolios - as well as hearing from the BRIC Ambassadors to Australia on their first joint appearance...

The 6-hour Due Diligence Forum is one of two key components of the annual PortfolioConstruction Conference. The 2009 Due Diligence Forum program featured 24 international and local investment experts presenting presenting pre-approved research papers. This Resources Kit contains those papers, along with presentation slides, podcasts and questions/comments...

The 12-hour Critical Issues Forum is one of two key components of the annual PortfolioConstruction Conference. It is a totally independent, interactive program with a strong focus on implementation. This Resources Kit provides the videos, podcasts and presentation slides from the 2009 program, featuring 10 intensive, interactive sessions and 20 selected international and local portfolio experts...

The 2009 Conference was the first post Global Financial Crisis, and hence the theme was "investing in the new reality". It was a very different investment environment compared to a year prior - some things had changed forever; others only temporarily. Some things had not changed at all. But which was which? What WAS the new reality? And what did it mean for construction investor portfolios? This resources kit features videos, podcasts, papers and presentations from the three-day program featuring 33 quality sessions featuring 36 carefully selected local and international portfolio experts...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Tim Farrelly and our six Due Diligence Forum Researchers - ensured delegates determined their key take outs from Conference, and actions to take as a result when building investor portfolios...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Greg Cooper of Schroders and James Purvis of Active Portfolios - explored a variety of practical and useful portfolio risk management tools that Practitioners can apply when building investor portfolios...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring the Rob Arnott of Research Affiliates - argued that the cult of equities is dangerous, that is, we cannot blindly believe in "stocks for the long run". Investors must examine the many out-of-mainstream fixed-income asset classes, some currently offering the same 2.5% long-term historical risk premium of equities but with more diversification and less volatility...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring the legendary Bill Gross of PIMCO - argued that despite early signs that some asset classes are beginning to show signs of recovery, any suggestion that asset markets are returning to "normal" must be met with the question "What’s normal?"...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring London-based Chris Watling of Longview Economics - argued that a key feature of the new, post Global Financial Crisis world is that the structural strength of the global economy now resides in the emerging market economies...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 show how, now that Australian investors are able to gain exposures to a wide range of broad indices using ETFs, they could use ETFs either strategically or tactically to build more efficient international equity portfolios...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 explains that the lesson of 2008 was that "income isn't income" – not all fixed income strategies proved to be defensive, liquid and diversified. This research paper revisits where some fixed income investors went wrong, and shows how to construct genuinely defensive portfolios that focus on delivering the hallmarks of quality fixed income strategies...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argues that the disintermediation for capital raising for SME’s has opened up significant investment opportunities for direct lenders. In short, SME’s needs are the same as medium- to large-sized enterprises but access to capital is not the same, thus producing an environment where investors can cherry pick their deal prospects...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argues that, in harsh terms, there has been a Darwinian like clean out of bad ideas and poor execution for REITs and investors alike, and examines how the REIT industry disappointed investors, and the long term merits of the sector...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 shows that over a 20-year period, residential property has produced above average total returns compared to other asset classes, and with lower volatility than Australian shares. This research paper argues the benefits available for investors of including residential property in a diversified portfolio...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 explores the changes in Asia over the last 10 years and factors likely to affect prospects for the Asian region over the coming years, and gives insights needed to re-evaluate the investment opportunities in this region...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argue that active extension remains the most efficient structure to deliver alpha in the Australian equity market and that the most significant impediment to capturing returns from any investment process remains the long only constraint...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 seek to discuss the challenge deleveraging presents to the level of economic growth in most developed countries over the next 15 years, and how to position portfolios in light of it...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argue that if current predictions hold, a more balanced and even multi-polar world could emerge in which certain developing nations, such as China and India, influence the nature of investment returns far more than they ever had in the past...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argue that the prospect for hedge fund returns has never been better. However, resolving the structural flaws of hedge funds will be one important step forward in the chase for higher, more stable returns...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 examine forms of capital protection and assess the risks and benefits of each, and why this will be key to building portfolios using a core plus satellite approach...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Hong-Kong-based Dr Marc Faber - argued that post Global Financial Crisis recession-busting policy measures may aggravate and prolong the problem, and that the recession will deepen...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring London-based the Hon. Dr Pippa Malmgren - argued that the post Global Financial Crisis reality requires that we approach asset allocation with a clean sheet of paper...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Dr Peter Rathjens of Arrowstreet Capital - reviewed the conceptual underpinnings of active asset management and the implementations and pitfalls in the post Global Financial Crisis environment...

This Critical Issues Forum from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 - featuring Jonathan Pain of HFA Asset Management, Hamish Douglass of Magellan Financial Group and Chris Watling of Longview Economics - debated the likely shape of the global economic recovery, and the implications for markets and portfolios...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 examines the changing parameters in the new social order as a consequence of the global financial crisis, and the implications for global markets and, by extension, Australian equities...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 identifies the secular trends found in stronger emerging markets and how to access it, and presents data showing that the turbulence of the past year has created an appropriate environment to adopt a less constrained approach to global equities investing...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argues that there is no need to change your investment approach in a post bubble world, and that the basics of sound long-term investing remain unchanged...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 examines how, in the wake of the failure of so-called conservative and high yielding products, the focus on how equity income funds can offer consistent and stable income at volatility levels substantially lower than the market...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 presents evidence from recessions since the early 1970s to highlight the relative strength of infrastructure as an asset class and the pace at which earnings can rebound...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 explain that the effect of governments stepping back into the bond market to fund their ballooning deficits will be to produce a marked change in the risk profile of bond funds in regards to potential default risk and where they are likely to source future alpha...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 explore the range of opportunities across the capital structure that have a legitimate role to play in a well constructed portfolio. It discusses portfolio construction considerations, and explores the implementation of these ideas using as an example, traditional and unconstrained balanced funds...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 argue that investors should not let the level of portfolio risk automatically determine portfolio allocations, as is the case with Strategic Asset Allocation, but rather that portfolio allocations should have regard for the risk and liquidity requirements of the investor...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 highlight some flaws in the conventional approach to asset allocation and explain why a more flexible approach is appropriate for many investors, particularly in the challenging investment environment expected to continue in coming years...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 shows how and when strategic tilting can be used to temporarily adjust or tilt a portfolio’s risk exposure from its long-term default strategic asset allocation...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 review the key reasons for investing in commodities and illustrate how institutional investors are employing commodity-related investments in portfolios...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2009 outline the nature of investing in managed futures, and analyse the dynamic investment exposures within managed futures and how this contributes to risk-adjusted returns, before testing a portfolio allocation to managed futures...

Despite an appalling 2008, the hedge fund industry spin continues, with managers comparing hedge fund returns to equity market performance. But what if we make a sensible comparison – against diversified funds? With the tide now out, the myths are laid bare...

The following is an introductory review and synopsis of recent commentary on the Global Financial Crisis. What are the possible "road(s) to recovery"? And, what are the sign posts? What are the implications for portfolios, and how do we communicate them to investors?