Displaying items by tag: alternative

JPMorgan issued its 28th annual Long-Term Capital Markets Assumptions report, which provides long-term forecasts for various asset classes in addition to detailing risks and upside catalysts. One of the recommendations in its report is to add a 25% position to alternative investments which it believes will increase returns by 60 basis points on an annual basis while also reducing volatility. 

In terms of the 60/40 portfolio, JPMorgan is forecasting annual returns of 7% which is a slight decrease from last year’s forecast of 7.2% annual returns. Pulkit Sharma, JPMorgan’s head of real assets and alternative investment strategy, remarked, “The alternative asset classes are becoming more essential than optional in the broader 60/40 toolkit. Inflation is going to be more and more sticky, so you need more diversifiers and inflation-sensitive asset classes.” 

The bank also believes that investors need to seek out diversification especially, since it expects continued geopolitical uncertainty and volatility stemming from central bank decisions. Fixed income is simply not an effective diversifier in higher-inflation environments as evidenced by the last couple of years. Some of the alternative assets it recommends boosting diversification are real assets, hedge funds, and private credit. 

Finsum: In its annual long-term review and forecast of various asset classes, JPMorgan slightly reduced its expectation of long-term returns for a 60/40 portfolio and stressed the role of alternatives to boost returns and improve diversification.

Alternative investments can add value to portfolios by boosting returns and leading to increased diversification according to a recent UBS white paper on the subject. Within the category, it favors specialist credit hedge funds, macro hedge funds, secondaries in private equity, and specific types of private debt. However, it does note that investors should be aware that there is a tradeoff in terms of reduced liquidity. 

The firm recommends a 20% allocation and believes that it could lead to an annual increase of 50 basis points in the long term. It’s increasingly of interest given the asset class’s strong performance in 2022 when stocks and bonds both delivered double-digit, negative returns. In contrast, most diversified alternatives’ indices saw performance between -6% and +17%. In terms of forward returns, the bank forecasts return between 6% and 11% over a full business cycle.

In terms of specific strategies, UBS recommends specialist credit hedge funds which focus on differences between strong and weak companies. It also favors secondaries in private equities and notes some attractive discounts in the space. The bank also sees upside to private debt given that yields are around 12% with lower default risk than high-yield credit. 

Finsum: UBS is bullish on alternative assets. It believes that the asset class can boost returns while also increasing diversification. 

Private equity: you have a meeting with center stage.

With the space -- as well as other alternative investments -- expected to gross $20 trillion by 2025, it’s thumbs up for the expansion of private equity, according to an industry data report from Prequin, an alternatives data firm, reported daily.financialexecutives.org.

Within the past decade, the private equity terrain’s changed seismically. What’s more, the industry’s lighting quick expansion is paving the way to a lucrative market, leading to new leadership.

Meantime, last year prompted investors to pick the minds of their financial professionals for help making their way through the constantly changing financial landscape, according to thestreet.com.

While a survey conducted by the Financial Planning Association and the Journal of Financial Planning showed the interest in alternative investments was stronger among professional predating the pandemic, the issues of liquidity and cost didn’t vanish in the wind.

"As traditional stock and bond asset classes suffered from losses and volatility in 2022, it's not surprising that interest in alternative investments increased among financial professionals,” 2023 FPA President James Lee, CFP, CRPC, AIF, said in a press release. “However, overall use of alternatives remains relatively low,”

A little forward thinking, anyone? Surely, now, there must be some…

Either way, as reported in a Global Market Insights Inc research study, by 2032, it’s anticipated the alternative financing market valuation will surge past $40 billion, according to globenewswire.com.

The trigger? The financial industry’s been revolutionized by grease lighting strides in tech – especially fintech. Borrowers and investors have been in the position to link up directly, with no use of intermediaries. You can attribute that to alternative financing platforms taking advantage of technology to dispense services that are efficient and user friendly.

Furthermore, from anywhere – and at any time -- borrowers and investors can take part in alternative financing transactions fueled by the popularity of online platforms and mobile apps, according to hk.finance.yahoo.com.

Industry trends also are being cultivated by regulatory frameworks set by governments and financial authorities.

Check your bank statement. Chances are – and this is just a hunch, mind you – it probably doesn’t total anywhere near oh, say, $10.82 billion. Double check it, in fact.

Point is: that’s the total which the global alternative market financing market came in at, according to grandviewresearch.com. Not only that, from 2023 to 2030, it’s expected to catapult at a compound annual growth rate of 20.2%. Fueling the industry’s been the need to access capital for small businesses and individuals. Given the stringent requirements among traditional banking institutions, it was that much tougher for many to secure loans. Enter alternative finance products. Especially among those who might fall short of meeting the rigid requirements of traditional banks, there’s a greater accessibility to capital through alternative finance products.

While yields have returned, in light of inflation and policy uncertainty, bonds just might have to apply a little elbow grease to deliver the degree of diversification they at one time dispensed, according to blackrock.com.