Traditional and Risk Based Approaches to Asset Classification

Traditional and Risk Based Approaches to Asset Classification

To effectively analyze a portfolio or potential investment opportunities, investors must establish a comprehensive and mutually exclusive categorization scheme, known as the ‘opportunity set.’ This is crucial to ensure that all investments are considered and prevent double-counting or missed opportunities. Two common approaches are:

  • Liquidity-based approach.
  • Performance expectation approach.

The liquidity-based approach typically starts by distinguishing between public and private investments, with private investments being less liquid. This approach further subdivides categories, as illustrated in the table below:

$$ \textbf{Major Asset Class Categories} \\
\small{\begin{array}{c|c|c|c}
& {\textbf{Equity &} } & {\textbf{Fixed Income &} } & \textbf{Real Estate} \\
& \textbf{Equity-Like} & \textbf{Fixed Income-Like} & \\ \hline
\textbf{Marketable/Liquid} & \text{Public Equity} & \text{Fixed Income} & \text{Public Real Estate} \\
& \text{Long/Short Equity} & \text{Cash} & \text{Commodities} \\
& \text{Hedge Funds} & & \\ \hline
\textbf{Private/Illiquid} & \text{Private Equity} & \text{Private Credit} & \text{Private Real Estate} \\
& & & \text{Private Real Estate} \\ \end{array} }$$

Investors can also categorize asset classes based on their expected behavior in different economic conditions:

  1. Capital growth assets tend to rise in value during periods of economic growth. This category includes both public and private equities.
  2. Inflation-hedging assets, such as real estate, commodities, natural resources, and inflation-linked bonds, are expected to perform well when inflation expectations increase or if inflation surpasses expectations.
  3. Deflation-hedging assets, like nominal government bonds, may outperform most other asset classes during periods of slow economic growth and low inflation.

Main strengths of traditional approaches:

Easy to communicate

Traditional asset-class-based approaches are widely understood by investors, making communication and comprehension straightforward.

Relevance for liquidity management and operational considerations

These approaches are particularly useful for managing liquidity due to the significant differences in liquidity profiles between public and private asset classes.

Main limitations of traditional approaches:

Over-estimation of portfolio diversification

Investors might overestimate the level of diversification in their portfolio without a proper analytical framework.

Obscured primary drivers of risk

Different investments may be grouped together under the same asset class, potentially obscuring the primary drivers of risk. 

Risk-Based Approach

A more precise way to define investment opportunities is through a risk-based approach. This method categorizes investments based on their exposure to specific risk factors, making it less subjective and more quantitative. Risk factors often considered for alternative investments include:

  • Equity market return: It reflects the overall trend of global equity markets and is often considered the most accurate market indicator for ‘growth’
  • Size: The additional return of small-cap stocks compared to large-cap stocks.
  • Value: The surplus return of value stocks compared to growth stocks (negative factor sensitivity indicates a preference for growth stocks).
  • Liquidity: Refers to the Pastor-Stambaugh liquidity factor, a market-wide metric based on the disparity in returns between stocks that are highly responsive to changes in overall liquidity (less-liquid stocks) and stocks that are less affected by shifts in liquidity conditions (more-liquid stocks)
  • Duration: Responsiveness to fluctuations in the 10-year government bond yield.
  • Inflation: Reactivity to adjustments in 10-year breakeven inflation rates derived from the inflation-linked bond markets..
  • Credit spread: Responsiveness to fluctuations in the high-yield spread.
  • Currency: Responsiveness to fluctuations in the domestic currency in comparison to a collection of foreign currencies.

Main strengths of risk-based approaches:

Identify common risk factors

This approach allows investors to identify common risk factors across different types of investments, whether they are public or private, passive or active.

Integrated risk framework

By developing an integrated risk management framework, it becomes easier to accurately quantify portfolio-level risk.

Main limitations of risk-based approaches:

Sensitivity to historical data

The historical data used to determine risk factor exposures can impact the results. For example, an equity portfolio’s beta may remain relatively stable over time, but its sensitivity to inflation could vary significantly. Analysts must be cautious when interpreting risk factor sensitivity measures, such as “inflation beta.”

Implementation challenges

Setting strategic targets for different risk factors is a high-level decision. However, translating these targets into specific investment mandates involves additional considerations, including liquidity planning, manager selection, and rebalancing policies.

Question

Using an approach based on expected returns under various economic regimes, private real estate falls under which of the following categories?

  1. Capital Growth.
  2. Inflation-hedging.
  3. Deflation-hedging.

Solution

The correct answer is B.

Private real estate is primarily known for its inflation-hedging properties. This is because, during periods of higher-than-expected inflation, private real estate can offer two significant advantages:

  1. Rental rates often increase, leading to higher cash flow for property owners.
  2. Property prices may also rise, increasing the overall asset value.

A and C are incorrect. Capital growth assets encompass both public and private equities, while deflation-hedging assets typically include nominal government bonds.

Portfolio Construction: Learning Module 3: Asset Allocation to Alternative Investments; Los 3(c) Compare traditional and risk-based approaches to defining the investment opportunity set, including alternative investments

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