Special Reports » OTHER REPORTS » INDEX INVESTING

Driven by the rise in exchange-traded funds and institutions increasingly seeking specific benchmarks, indices have been rapidly expanding into new areas, writes Tony Tassell.

As banks create new investment strategies, they are allocating considerable resources to setting up their own benchmark to measure it, writes Charles Batchelor.

Index providers are vying with each other to develop new products in the wake of increased liquidity in global equity markets. Kristen Paech reports on the products being constructed.

— Tohmé-Adet, BNPPAM

Expensive though they may be, exchange-traded funds, futures and options offer an alternative to passive approaches for index return seekers, writes Henry Smith.

Until recently the capability to offer tradable indices for alternative asset classes has not existed. But now, technology has caught up with demand, writes Nik Pratt.

An unconstrained approach to managing portfolios has led to a reassessment of how active managers view benchmarks. Outperformance is no longer enough, writes Joanna Chung.

— Margaret Gilbert, Greenwich Alternative Investments

As hedge fund allocations rise, using investable hedge fund indices could prove a cheaper way to gain exposure, but will they live up to regulatory scrutiny? Martin Steward reports.

Alternative methods for beating the benchmark are being touted, but many experts claim that investors should remain sceptical of their long-term staying power. Pauline Skypala reports.

Banks are hurrying to unveil hedge fund replication models to serve as investable indices. But doubts remain as to whether they can they produce adequate returns, writes Steve Johnson.