InvestTech and Crowdsourcing Best Ideas: Investment Strategies for a Low-Yield Environment

12 Pages Posted: 17 Jan 2017

See all articles by Samuel Kunz

Samuel Kunz

University of California - Office of the President

Arun Muralidhar

AlphaEngine Global Investment Solutions; Georgetown University - McDonough School of Business; George Washington University

Date Written: January 14, 2017

Abstract

Asset owners have to deal with the challenge of a potentially low-yielding investment environment for the foreseeable future. The traditional approach to raise the expected return typically leads to increasing allocations to illiquid assets such as private equity, real estate, or infrastructure. However, that method is not suitable to all asset owners. This paper provides a different and complementary approach: leveraging an asset owner’s unique position as a gateway to best ideas and non-traditional, diverse data sets. It demonstrates how assets owners, especially one located close to Silicon Valley, can utilize two key innovations to improve governance, risk management, and potentially expected returns: Crowdsourcing and Investment Technologies (InvestTech). Specifically, the paper shows how asset owners can leverage the best ideas and data sets of their partners (asset managers, banks, custodians, and research firms), and then convert these best ideas into implementable investment decisions. In this specific application, we examine how a limited form of “crowdsourcing” and InvestTech allowed the Office of the Chief Investment Officer of the Regents of the University of California (UC Investments) to develop its own internal investment model to manage asset allocations. In doing so, the portfolio and risks are better managed by the investment team. This approach is easily replicable by other asset owners, and each fund can develop its own bespoke approach based on relationships with vendors and key risks and objectives.

Keywords: Crowdsourcing, InvestTech, Low Yielding Environment, Tactical, Beta Management, Dashboards, Governance, Risk Management

JEL Classification: G11, G12

Suggested Citation

Kunz, Samuel and Muralidhar, Arun, InvestTech and Crowdsourcing Best Ideas: Investment Strategies for a Low-Yield Environment (January 14, 2017). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2899425 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2899425

Samuel Kunz

University of California - Office of the President ( email )

1111 Franklin St., 11th Floor
Oakland, CA 94607
United States

Arun Muralidhar (Contact Author)

AlphaEngine Global Investment Solutions ( email )

Great Falls, VA
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www.mcubeit.com

Georgetown University - McDonough School of Business ( email )

3700 O Street, NW
Washington, DC 20057
United States

HOME PAGE: http://realativityinfinance.wordpress.com

George Washington University ( email )

2121 I Street NW
Washington, DC 20052
United States

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