by admin | Dec 30, 2009 | CIPM, ethics, GIPS, Global Investment Performance Standards, money-weighting, Returns, time-weighting
Calculating rates of return really isn’t that difficult. And while we may debate whether returns should be calculated using money-weighting or time-weighting, such issues pale in comparison with the broader aspect of ethics. I must confess that I initially...
by admin | Dec 15, 2009 | attribution, GIPS, Global Investment Performance Standards, Returns, risk
One question that occasionally surfaces is how big a performance department should be. There is no simple answer and it’s difficult to decide by simply doing a comparison with other firms. Some key points: all firms are different. Okay, maybe a bit of hyperbole,...
by admin | Dec 11, 2009 | GIPS, Global Investment Performance Standards, Returns
Here, I’m addressing cash flows from a return calculation perspective. First, recall that in two weeks we’ll have a requirement for GIPS(R) compliant firms to revalue portfolios for large cash flows, where the firm decides what “large”...
by admin | Dec 3, 2009 | GIPS, Global Investment Performance Standards, Returns
A client recently asked about dealing with “breaks” in performance. First, what IS a break? We’d define it as a temporary loss of discretion over a client’s assets, during which time no trading can be done. Breaks can be caused by changes in...
by admin | Nov 30, 2009 | Returns
We got a call recently from a firm that wants us to review their method to derive returns. They take their beginning market value plus cash flows to determine an average capital base; they then determine their account’s appreciation for the period and calculate...
by admin | Nov 28, 2009 | attribution, GIPS, Returns, risk
I guess it’s not surprising that as a blogger, I occasionally wonder around looking at other blogs … I regularly visit about a dozen and am always looking for new ones to add to my list. Today I’ve visited several new sites and have picked up a few...
