Quants Corner – To rotate or not rotate, that is the question
As vaccination numbers around the world creep up, US consumers find themselves awash in cheap credit – and, in some cases, ‘helicopter money’ – and...
Quants Corner
Quants Corner – Getting ready for the ‘transitory’ guest
The US Federal Reserve believes the recent gains made by inflation will be temporary, and that the headline rate will be at or around its 2% level...
Collective investment trusts: The latest wrinkle in fund time
EPFR currently tracks over 133,400 shares classes offered by mutual, ETF, hedge funds and other vehicles that encompass over $46 trillion worth of...
Quants Corner – Inflation, real yields and the million dollar question
Austrian equities look an efficient choice given the dilemma facing investors today. Empirical analysis shows they benefit from rising...
Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies: Thunder, but on what horizon?
On February 21st the closing price of the best-known cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, hit an eye-popping $57,128. On the same date in 2016, it was trading...
Quants Corner – Inflation: A mythical beast of antiquity?
When readers of this blog were young, their bedtime fare probably included tales featuring dragons and the people who either slew or bonded with...
Quants Corner – Is volatility coming out of the doldrums?
It feels like a long time, but it was only three years ago when the VIX index, the benchmark for measuring market volatility, hit an all-time...
Quants Corner – In 2021, backing those closest to the light
Mapping fund flows to the progression of a truly global pandemic is something that EPFR – thankfully – has not had to deal with for most of its...
Quants Corner – Animal spirits arise in retail investors
After years of pulling money out of equity funds, retail investors are starting to step back in. EPFR-tracked Equity Funds ended 2020 with eight...
Quants Corner – ESG: The climate has changed
EPFR started tracking equity fund flows in the first quarter of 1996. It started tracking its first funds with socially responsible (SRI) or...
Quants Corner – Finding value in negative flows
Despite the strong rebound seen during November, this year has been a tough year – in flow terms – for both Emerging and Developed Markets Equity...
Quants Corner – EPFR’s 2020 wrap: Signing off on a crazy year
After more than two decades of tracking mutual fund flows and allocation data, we’ve come to believe that each year, or indeed each time period, has...
Following the IGM deal flow to capture alpha in the corporate bond market
According to Informa Global Markets (IGM), their Deals Database shows total year-to-date bond issuance hit €2.36 trillion through the end of...
The run-up to election day: Reading the fund tea leaves
With less than a week to go before America chooses a president, what are the flow and return numbers saying? The flows and returns for EPFR-tracked...
Quants Corner – Japan: Ex-Asia but not ex-Alpha
For decades, global investors have become conditioned to the term Asia ex(cluding) Japan. It’s a term that reflects Japan’s individual place in the...