Description: Describes investment strategy targets used in the investment competition under way for investment section members in 2017.

Description: Uses Blackrock's macroeconomic and style factors in asset allocation examples for an insurance portfolio and a pension portfolio.

Description: Feature article describing the use of arithmetic means in the production of return results predictions.

Description: In this article the author notes that investment strategy development is fundamentally a communications exercise between the investment and actuarial functions. The article explores four questions with respect to investment strategy: 1 how to make money 2 how to avoid earnings fluctuations 3 how to avoid catastrophic loss and 4 how to choose a new investment idea.

Description: This 2001 article discusses the requirement to assess hedge effectiveness in the Financial Accounting Standards Board’s new statement on derivatives accounting, FAS 133, Accounting for Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities, as critical for qualifying for “special” hedge accounting. The article provides analysis of different approaches and the potential difficulties encountered. This article is reprinted with permission from Derivatives Week.

Description: Why Write Variable Products When You Can Put the Money Directly into the Stock Market?

Description: This article aimed to make Liability Driven Investing LDI more accessible by providing a simple definition and by showing how plans of different sizes and circumstances may adopt an appropriate LDI approach.

Description: The author, head of Alternatives Investment Specialists at Fortis Investments, recently presented a research paper on the potential benefits and possible pitfalls of investing in illiquid assets. This newsletter provides a brief summary of that paper. The full paper is available upon request.

Description: Feature article discussing the newly developed Build America Bonds BABs.

Description: Feature article discussing the 2009 price action - periods of extreme distress and incredible euphoria across the global financial markets. The reversals experienced from asset class lows to their highs have not been seen in decades.