Since the financial crisis, global public investors have increased their allocation to real assets at a steady pace, research highlights. The volatility of markets at the moment, in addition to traditional fixed income becoming less attractive, have caused investors seeking protection. Real assets offer an appealing solution. This week, Twink discusses the role real assets play in a portfolio, as she’s joined by Alex Farlow, Head of Risk-based Solutions at Square Mile and Ruli Viljoen, Head of Manager Selection at Morningstar.
Themes covered in this podcast:
- What are real assets?
- How the allocation to real assets has changed in the past 10 years
- Inputs and considerations to typically consider when putting a portfolio together
- Liquidity issues that arise with this search for income
- Tips for marketers and how they can showcase their company’s capabilities
Alex Farlow heads up the risk-targeted/volatility-managed research and co-leads on multi-asset fund research for Square Mile. In addition, he also comments in the financial press and produces articles on topics within his specialist research areas. Prior to joining Square Mile, Alex worked at Morningstar OBSR, predominantly working with IFAs – building and servicing investment and product best-advice panels.
Ruli Viljoen joined Morningstar in 2019 through the company’s acquisition of OBSR, where she had worked since 2009. Most recently, she served as head of investment research for Morningstar’s open-end manager research in the UK. An experienced professional working in the UK fund research industry since 1996, Ruli has worked at TriAlpha Investment Advisors, Nedcor Investment group and Pavilion Capital.