Asset allocation has long been viewed as a safe bet for reducing risk in a portfolio. Asset allocators strive to buy when prices are low and sell when prices rise. Tactical asset allocation (TAA) practitioners tend to emphasize shorter-term adjustments, reducing exposure when recent market performance has been good, and increasing exposure in a slipping market (in contrast to dynamic asset allocation, or portfolio insurance). As interest in this technique continues to grow, J.P. Morgan's Wai Lee provides comprehensive coverage of the analytical tools needed to successfully implement and monitor tactical asset allocation.

A comprehensive guide to global tactical asset allocation. The text details how to develop systems to implement strategies in an efficient and cost-effective manner. It also discusses the concept of risk and how to control it.

This book covers each step in the asset allocation process, addressing as many of the relevant questions as possible along the way. How can we formulate expectations about long-term returns? How relevant are valuations? What are the challenges to optimizing the portfolio? Can factor investing add value and, if so, how can it be implemented? Which are the key performance drivers for each asset class, and what determines how they are correlated? How can we apply insights about the business cycle to tactical asset allocation? The book is aimed at finance professionals and others looking for a coherent framework for decision-making in asset allocation, both at the strategic and tactical level. It stresses analysis rather than pre-conceived ideas about investments, and it draws on both empirical research and practical experience to give the reader as strong a background as possible.

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Investment and Finance, University of Innsbruck, course: Sales Management in Banking and Finance, language: English, abstract: Asset allocation strategies are a frequently discussed topic with increasing importance in times of crisis. Such strategies should prevent us from price deterioration in bad times and ensure high return potentials in good times. More and more tactical asset allocation funds emerge and promise better returns than simple strategy funds. They always try to be on the right market side, in up as well as in down phases. This seminar paper deals with some basic question about what strategic and tactical asset allocation is, when should it be used and if these strategies are appropriate in a highly uncertain environment like the current. It should give the reader a broad overview about the topic by referring to different accepted theories and studies. First the development of asset allocation methods will be described resulting in strategic and tactical asset allocation and an evaluation of them. Furthermore a link toward uncertain market conditions will be compounded.

We know asset allocation theory, and reality is much different in a market meltdown. This book highlights the most critical research tied to investing in up and down market cycles, asset allocation, and investment management over the last 50 years. We start with a critical look at diversification and asset allocation; we provide an in-depth analysis of investing in stocks, we then provide details on two active asset allocation approaches, make a case for index funds, and then introduce you to a management tool which we'll use to manage the asset allocation strategy going forward.

The role of legal origin was first introduced in the Law and Finance Literature by La Porta et al. (1997) in an original study of legal determinants of external finance. Their study is timely given that investor protection is crucial because in many countries, expropriation of minority shareholders and creditors by controlling shareholders or corporate insiders is extensive. This dissertation intends to replicate the original La Porta et al. (1997) study for Property stocks in 23 countries whose legal jurisdictions falls into the four of the legal fraternities established by La Porta namely, English, French, German and Scandinavian. The primary motivations for this thesis, is that the Property stocks broadly captures several critical aspects of the original La Porta study. Specifically, Property stocks are very tangible assets that can easily be collateralised due to the direct property underpinning the net asset backing of Property stocks. The end result of this research endeavour is to provide a framework for institutional portfolio investors to determine the appropriate countries whose real estate markets have the most favourable investor climate to facilitate a more attractive environment for institutional investors given the Means Variance Optimisation (MVO) methodology. A tactical asset allocation strategy will be employed to determine the three stages that a global investor should undertake to arrive at the optimum proportions of funds to invest in Common stocks or Real Estate stocks in any country firstly based on an Emerging/Developed country analysis then secondly, a geographic Regional analysis and finally on Legal Origin analysis to distil the appropriate proportions of funds that should be invested. This Dissertation has three original contributions, which are as follows: 1) An Empirical investigation of role of Legal origin on the performance of Real Estate stocks within the context of a tactical asset allocation strategy. This dissertation studies the impact that Developed versus Emerging, Regional markets and Legal Origin jurisdictions have on the results of the optimal MVO portfolios (based on the highest Sharpe ratio) and presents the research findings of this study, at the Primary, Secondary and Tertiary levels. This dissertation is envisaged to fill the research gap between legal origin and the performance of Property stocks across four legal fraternities in 23 countries and make an original contribution in the Law & Finance and Portfolio Management Literature. 2) ACTIVE (Ex-Ante) versus PASSIVE (naïve) portfolio management strategy. The original contribution is the application of this methodology to property stocks specifically within a Legal Origin and Regional market framework. Data is collated from 1984 to 2003 (20 years inclusive) from 23 countries with specific reference to the Common and Real Estate stocks markets therein. A 5 year rolling Ex-Post analysis is computed to determine the optimum allocation weights in a multi-asset portfolio and subsequently an Ex-Ante analysis (next immediate year) of the portfolio weights applied to an Actively managed portfolio. This portfolio will be compared with actual portfolio performance from 1989 to 2002 (fifteen subsequent years) to determine whether the Ex-ANTE methodology which underpinned the Active management strategy is preferred over a Passive (equal investment in each asset class) strategy for real estate stocks portfolio management. The Ex-Ante analysis will be undertaken at two stages: Firstly, Legal Origin markets and Secondly, Regional markets. 3) A replication of the Gordon et al. (1995) study which determined the appropriate percentage based on the Markowitz Portfolio Theory (MPT) that should be invested in the Real Estate stock markets in 14 countries. The original contribution is the application of Gordon s methodology to the Legal Origin markets proposed by La Porta et al. (1997). This research study encompasses 23 c