Dr. Bob Swarup, of CAIA, and a Partner of Pension Corporation LLP, in London, was the keynote speaker at the Emerging Managers Forum on July 7. He presented “The Outlook for Alternatives in Today’s Economic Environment.”

According to the latest research, confidence in family office investing is back.

More stringent than ever, investors are demanding more for the same or less of private equity funds. Whether they'll relent remains to be seen.

Hedge fund assets have bounced back from 2008 to make a new high above two trillion and many performance measures have also more than recovered their losses. Yet it seems most of the inflows are being hogged by the Billionaire's Club, despite studies shouting "Small is Beautiful."

Ron Resnick, a co-founder of CounselWorks, argues that the current debt crisis debate is a red herring which obscures the harsh reality that the federal government is already effectively insolvent. I have remained blissfully undisturbed by the twists and turns of the political  battles being waged in Washington, D.C. over the debt ceiling, federal government spending, [...]

Two economists cogently contend that looking at developments in hedge funds' monthly risk profile will be most revealing.

Hedge funds and institutional investors have kissed and made up, according to JPMorgan Prime Brokerage's latest investor sentiment report. Is the relationship really back on track, or are hedge funds just playing the good wife?

This is the first of a new series called "Alpha Hunters." The nimble qualities of alternative investments is part of what makes them essential to every investor's portfolio. They can move quickly to take advantage of market inefficiencies and go where other more traditional investment vehicles cannot. It is in the spirit of seeking the ever-moving alpha that we introduce this series, reaching out to experts in different strategies to see where they are finding alpha. We hope you find this series illuminating and please feel free to send suggestions for Alpha Hunters you'd like to read about. Kristin Fox Managing Editor

A recent comic strip featured a somewhat ambitionless twentysomething relating that she had seen her cat lick its own back and her dog catch its tail, fulfilling their lifelong goals all before she had even formulated ones of her own. Asset managers prefer not to see the market catch its tail – it means deep drawdowns for their portfolios. A recent research paper, however, suggests that it's better to try to catch the tail – and shorten it – than to hope it won't happen.

A CMRA/IAFE study of the AXA Rosenberg case shows that model risk may not be on the radar screens of many quant funds.

A recent report suggests institutional money is going to be pouring into hedge funds over the next 12 months. Great news - except that it contradicts recent stories about mass redemptions.

It's a new paradigm for prime brokers still looking to develop and expand on their hedge fund relationships. The types of offerings - and the infrastructure hedge funds demand - are a whole new ballgame.

Institutions continue to favor alternatives as they remain committed to diversifying away from traditional asset classes. The problem, according to Towers Watson's latest survey, is that they aren't necessarily sold on hedge funds, and they certainly aren't thrilled with the price point.

Clients, according to a surprising new report, aren't too keen on alpha at the moment.

Direct investing in hedge funds is currently all the rage among pensions and sovereign wealth funds. But cutting out the middle man, or the expert, can come with a price.