This paper introduces our proprietary Private Markets Asset Allocation Framework (PMAAF), designed to help investors think about how to allocate their dry powder across private markets and cycles.
The private markets ecosystem has a wide variety of strategies, participants, assets and dynamics. We favor this space given the large alpha potential and certain diversification benefits relative to traditional public markets. However, the lack of public information, limited availability of private data, delayed valuations, illiquidity, wide dispersion of returns and behavioral biases all combine to create a challenge for an investor to determine:
We approached this problem by creating a framework that builds from the systematic, objective and data-driven methodologies many investors use to determine allocations in public markets and complementing it with inputs dedicated to private markets
PMAAF is a process built on three pillars, outlined below:
We believe that today a larger and more diverse allocation, with more asset classes now accepted as “core” alternatives, as well as an increasing number of new investors in private markets, requires a well-established, repeatable, objective and data-driven framework to support investment decisions. Our three-pillar framework, combining cycle indicators, quantitative fundamental scoring and qualitative thematic overlay, reinforced with an independent monitoring oversight process, could help investors navigate the challenges intrinsic to private markets.
The Portfolio Solutions Group is a comprehensive multi-asset business, with activity across all asset strategies and types (traditional and alternative), through solutions that span fully liquid (public assets), comprehensive (public and private assets) and fully private portfolios. Offerings are delivered via a managed portfolio or model, in discretionary or advisory format.
DEFINITIONS
Bloomberg US Aggregate: an index comprised of approximately 6,000 publicly traded bonds including United States government, mortgage-backed, corporate and Yankee bonds with an average maturity of approximately 10 years.
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