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With interest rates at historically low levels, fixed income investors have become increasingly concerned about rising rates and how their portfolios might be affected. However, rising rates do not necessarily mean negative total returns for fixed-income investments. This paper examines the factors that can affect interest rates, as well as how fixed-income investments can respond as rates rise.

Of course, we’ve all heard the term “globalization.” It’s quickly become one of the most fashionable buzzwords of contemporary political and economic debates. Just as trade has been increasing and manufacturing has moved abroad, the capital markets have been “globalizing.” By expanding your fixed income investment horizon to include the world, you can substantially enhance your opportunity set.

This paper explores the concept of Volatility harvesting (using Volatility as an asset within your portfolio), or the extra growth generated from systematically diversifying and rebalancing.

Dividends have taken a back seat in recent years, but historically have represented 40% of large cap equity market total returns. In some periods, dividend income was the only return to equity investors. Higher yielding equities provide strong current income plus the opportunity for appreciation without being eroded by future inflation. The Relative Value Dividend Focused strategy’s annual gross yield of 2.9% as of December 31, 2011 was 30% higher than the S&P 500 yield of 2.2% and over 50% higher than the 10-year Treasury yield of 1.9%.

Each investor—whatever his or her background, experience or training—should employ a systematic protocol in the pursuit of growth and stability. An investment process should embody an investment philosophy. Grounded by best practices, this philosophy should stem from a set of beliefs that prescribe how to generate superior risk-adjusted returns in varying market environments and cycles.

Every investor knows about Yale University and the extraordinary success of its endowment portfolio. Indeed, many families have tried to emulate Yale’s approach to asset management, for obvious reasons. Unfortunately, fewer people are aware of of the Norway Government Pension Fund. While there are certainly aspects of the Yale Model that are useful to private investors, the Norway Model seems to speak much more directly to families and, equally important, seems to be implementable by all but the smallest family investors.

Over the past 20 years, economic, political and technological events have led to a dramatic growth in Emerging Market economies. Increased globalization, the dissolution of the communist bloc and the opening up of previously inaccessible markets such as China have all played a part in the expansion of investment opportunities in these countries, which has in turn helped to reshape the investment universe in Emerging Markets. The Emerging Market corporate bond market has become particularly appropriate for a wider range of investors due to its size, liquidity and improving transparency.

The four articles in this paper provide investment perspectives on the U.S. recovery, the Eurozone crises, the nature of China’s landing and whether policy makers have unleashed deflation or inflation.

This basic primer for investment managers provides a thorough introduction to exchange-traded funds – what they are, how they work, why they can be useful – and examines why regulators have been taking a closer look at them lately.

Deciding whether to invest in an art fund? This article examines challenges in defective title that art funds and their investors may face in the unregulated art and collectibles market.