The 2010 PortfolioConstruction Conference Resources Kit is an invaluable set of continuing education material including the presentations, podcasts, videos, and research papers across the Masterclass, Critical Issues Forum, and Due Diligence Forum programs...

The 10-hour Critical Issues Forum is one of two key components of the annual PortfolioConstruction Conference. It is a totally independent 10-hour plenary program featuring interactive sessions and selected international and local portfolio experts, designed by our specialist, experienced and independent team to cover two of our three pillars – Markets and Strategies. This Resources Kit - available only to Conference delegates - comprises videos, podcasts, papers and slides along with questions/comments raised by delegates during the program...

The 6-hour Due Diligence Forum is the second component of the annual PortfolioConstruction Conference, complementing the Critical Issues Forum. This Resources Kit - available to all PortfolioConstruction Forum members - contains the presentations, podcasts and research papers from the 2010 Due Diligence Forum program featuring 20 international and local investment experts presenting pre-approved research papers written specifically for Conference...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that, going forward, it is vital to consider the market environment and latest academic research, and develop a better approach to TAA and downside risk protection, including using second generation capital protected strategies to help create more robust portfolios...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 highlighted the importance of a specific allocation to global listed soft commodities due to its small representation in the MSCI World Index, and argued that the soft commodities sector provides portfolio diversification benefits, with a low correlation and more attractive risk/return profile compared to broad global equities...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued the case for active management in the Australian smaller companies segment, highlighting that historically, median small cap managers have solidly exceeded the relevant benchmark, and addressed some of the reasons why an active small cap manager can provide a valuable addition to an investor’s portfolio...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 addressed the construction of a multi-manager alternative product completely at odds with conventional wisdom in that it has a very small number of managers, and the use of such a fund in a typical Australian diversified portfolio...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 analysed the commercial property market and investigated the various factors contributing to long-term, medium-term and short-term trends...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 reviewed the concept of Active Money and how it can be applied in the Australian equity market to provide practitioners with a greater level of insight into the risk in Australian equity products...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 explained why the Net Asset Value of international ETFs can differ from the daily closing price on exchange, and the reasons behind these pricing differences...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that Global Financial Crisis highlighted the flaw in modern portfolio theory which has dominated the industry’s approach to portfolio risk for decades, and made the case that portfolio risk is much broader than simply return volatility, and that the industry’s reliance on short-term volatility measures leads to incorrect assessments of portfolio risk...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that 130/30 strategies can viewed as an alternative to long-only funds, with short selling used as a possible way to generate alpha and improve portfolio efficiency...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 discussed why the current slowdown in growth in global industrial production can be expected to continue in the short-term, arguing that this should be viewed as a part of a normal cycle, with industrial production growth to re-accelerate into 2011, providing support to industrial commodity demand and that possible market corrections are buying opportunities...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 explore which asset classes should be hedged, looking at the optimal hedge ratio for international equities. Is there in fact one answer, or does it change over time? Does it differ depending on the investment time frame? As the Australian dollar tends to be a pro-cyclical currency, does some hedging make sense?

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that typically, investors have arrived at their equities allocation (and domestic/international split) via mean-variance analysis of historical index returns and that this approach is fundamentally flawed Forward-looking investors should be asking “Where are the future tailwinds and is my portfolio positioned appropriately?”

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 examined how active fund managers can manage exposures to volatility and shocks, and how each can be exploited in the quest to add alpha and improve shock resistance...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 examined and exploded many of the myths and delusions that investors have clung to, and proposed new ideas on how to build truly shock-proof portfolios...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that simple strategies such as investing in government bonds or passively following market indices through the cycle are no longer sufficient to fulfill the dual purpose of protecting portfolios when growth assets are weak and generating sufficient income to meet client goals...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that the framework within which the industry makes investment choices and constructs investment portfolios for clients is fundamentally flawed and that what is required is an objectives-based framework...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 investigated the role of domestic investors in Asia ex-Japan and how governments are implementing measures to save investor interest and attract them to equity markets, as well as exploring the various reforms and policies underway that could potentially change the economic and investment landscape in the region to the advantage of Australian and global investors...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 argued that heightened volatility and potentially lower growth rates lie ahead. It discussed how to adjust portfolios, including what sources of alpha are likely to be most successful, what it means for the risk management of equity portfolios, and whether market capitalisation weighted benchmarks are less appropriate...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 focused on the volatility of investment income, and real growth, revealing that a high yield equity strategy can be the cornerstone of retirement income planning and that account-based pensions with this investment approach can resolve the longevity question by minimising the need to sell down assets...

This Due Diligence Forum Research Paper and Presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 discussed how the fundamentals underpining a stable environment for property, combined with the strength of contractually-bound income from real estate leases, provide an attractive and relatively secure return profile during a period of uncertainty...

This Asset Allocation Masterclass presentation from PortfolioConstruction Conference 2010 featured Mihail Dobrinov explaining the transformation of emerging markets as an asset class in terms of risk dynamics, as well as various techniques to identify and manage risks...

PortfolioConstruction Forum publisher, Graham Rich, caught up with the Hon. Dr Pippa Malmgren, for an update on her view of the markets...

This Academy Seminar debated three carefully selected topics, in a Socratic learning environment: Currency (to hedge or not to hedge); Adventures in asset allocation; and, The US economy (now and possible future scenarios)...