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Investment advisers often contract with subadvisers to obtain special investment expertise and sometimes outsource important operations or compliance-related functions to service pro­viders. Outsourcing often provides cost-effective solutions but comes with its own compliance obligations, notably initial and on-going due diligence.

The UK has delivered a remarkable cyclical upswing over the past year; with GDP growing at an average pace of over 3% annualised growth for 5 quarters in a row. This has been the result of extraordinary policy support both on the monetary side (low base rate policy and quantitative easing) and fiscal policy (smaller fiscal drag, Help to Buy scheme)...

The tightening of regulations around the world is prompting banks to offload a variety of financial assets onto the capital markets. Investors are aware of this opportunity. However, we think that many hold misconceptions about it because of the opaque nature of the disintermediation process, and the unfamiliar and heterogeneous nature of the asset...

The fixed income environment is changing, and as a result we believe opportunistic fixed income strategies with the flexibility to go anywhere are better suited to today’s market realities than traditional, duration-heavy core holdings. But because these strategies come in different shapes and sizes, we think it is important for investors to ...

Despite continued geopolitical instability and the media’s newfound focus on jihadist terror, equities rallied during the month on optimism that monetary policies among major central banks will continue to be quite supportive. U.S. corporate earnings for the second quarter of 2014 also came in stronger than expected, with the S&P 500 earn...

In March 2014, the Chinese Government announced the launch of its National New Urbanization Plan. The plan will transform China and will present opportunities in almost every sector—health care, entertainment, construction, energy, urban planning and many others. The New Urbanization Plan is a key part of the Government’s economic strat...

Industrial robots have been in use for more than 50 years. Today, a convergence of technological advancements, with economic and demographic trends, is leading to the adoption of robotics far beyond automotive assembly to include a wide variety of industries. Many governments have made Robotic and Autonomous Systems (RAS) a strategic initiati...

The SEC has issued a new risk alert on cybersecurity that registered broker-dealers and investment advisors need to follow closely. The SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations pointed to six broad categories in the alert, which was released on September 15.At a high level, the SEC is concerned with how firms handle governance ...

Debt continues to grow. In U.S.-dollar terms the debt of states, corporates and private households has increased by roughly 50 percent since 2007. This rise has led to concerns about a renewed debt crisis. A closer look reveals that both the growth and composition of debt differs between regions. Also, countries vary in their ability to take on and...

With a significant number of private equity groups (PEGs) working to succeed in this market, it has become increasingly difficult to identify targets poised for significant growth based on financial analysis alone.Investment specialists have noticed that the leaders in this area are increasingly turning to niche analysis to single out businesses th...

Looking back on a calendar year in which the S&P 500 outperformed the rest of the world by nearly 18% percent, many U.S. investors are perhaps wondering why they should venture outside of their home market. Add recent headlines from abroad, including talk of geopolitical instability, a Greek exit from the Eurozone, and a stock market bubble in ...

Effective short selling enhances an investment portfolio’s risk-adjusted returns over time. All else equal, short positions lower market exposure when incorporated into a broader portfolio. Accordingly, the long/short approach generally reduces volatility and improves capital preservation over a full market cycle. The use of shorts in a portf...

Doubts about the strength of the global expansion continue to preoccupy investors, most recently causing a meaningful but relatively normal market correction.Although the global economy has been growing for nearly six years, investors have been buffeted by a seemingly never-ending series of events, from Greece and Puerto Rico to China. Each round o...

Jeff Mortimer’s latest Investment Update discusses what branch of the road the market may take, how the market correction served to reset investors’ views on risk and return and how we’re managing the opportunities and/or risks.

Challenging conventional thinking: Investors are typically taught that diversification of portfolio assets is the prudent approach to preserving and growing wealth. Yet the majority of the families we serve appreciate that this tenet doesn’t necessarily apply at the advisory level. In other words, diversifying across multiple advisors without...