This paper sets out an analytical framework for optimal asset allocation of sovereign wealth, based on the theory of contingent claims analysis applied to the sovereigns economic balance sheet. A country solves an asset-liability management problem involving its sources of income and its...

In this paper, we investigate the relative importance of drivers to pension funds’ asset allocation choices. We specifically test if the contrast between regulatory approaches of public and private Defined Benefits (DB) pension funds in the US, Canada and the Netherlands have an impact on the...

This work shows how long-term investors can benefit from adding volatility as an asset class to their portfolio. Two types of "structural" exposure – long implied volatility and long volatility risk premium – are now simple to implement. Implied volatility exposure can be used to...

Adding volatility exposure to an equity portfolio offers interesting opportunities for long-term investors. This article discusses the advantages of adding a long volatility strategy for a protection to a global European equity portfolio and to specific equity portfolios based in "core" or...

The diversifying power of inflation-linked (IL) bonds relative to traditional asset classes has changed significantly. In this paper, we study the dynamics of conditional volatilities and correlations for three asset classes, IL bonds, nominal bonds, and equities, in the USA and Europe. Using a...

This paper takes full advantage of daily quoted prices of microfinance stocks from their issuance, and draws a global picture of worldwide microfinance equity from the viewpoint of a profit-oriented investor. We construct microfinance country equity indices and an international global...

This study reconsiders the problem of hedging a liability by a portfolio made of a riskless asset and an underlying (underlying).

This paper examines how credit derivatives have changed the construction of an efficient portfolio. Credit derivatives provide a way of gaining exposure to credit risk alone, to the exclusion of interest rate risk. They also permit a relatively easy use of leverage. We examine two types of...