Scientific Beta

Frédéric Ducoulombier, Business Development Director Asia ex-Japan and the Middle East at ERI Scientific Beta, will be discussing the topic "The New Active Management: Latest Insights in Smart Beta" at the Sovereign Investor Institute Global-East Roundtable in Singapore on 6 November, 2015 which will bring together sovereign wealth funds, central banks, state pension/social security funds and finance ministries.

Frédéric Ducoulombier, Business Development Director Asia ex-Japan and the Middle East at ERI Scientific Beta, will be discussing the topic "The End of Passive Management? Insights into the Latest Trends in Equity Investment including Smart Beta Strategies" at the Sovereign Investor Institute Global East Government Funds Roundtable in Singapore on 6 November, 2015 which will bring together sovereign wealth funds, central banks, state pension/social security funds and finance ministries.

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a growing trend by government funds to retrench from active management in traditional asset classes land to increase exposure to passive strategies. However, while this has proven a successful approach over the last few years, equity markets have become increasingly expensive and returns have begun to teeter. Is it time to change back to active management? Furthermore, smart beta strategies, frequently known as the new active management (and sometimes referred to as “dumb alpha”), are becoming increasingly popular among the government fund community. Many believe that smart beta captures the more appealing characteristics of both passive and active equity management, creating a better solution for the portfolio. However, some argue that the risks associated with smart beta are often overlooked. This workshop will show how experts are handling their equity exposure in the current environment and finding success in smart beta.

Frédéric Ducoulombier is Business Development Director, Asia ex-Japan and the Middle East with ERI Scientific Beta and is a member of the ERI Scientific Beta Executive Committee and Corporate Director of ERI Scientific Beta. He is also directly responsible for compliance, governance and transparency at ERI Scientific Beta. Frédéric Ducoulombier has spent much of his career at EDHEC and more particularly at EDHEC-Risk Institute, where he was in charge of EDHEC-Risk Executive Education and then EDHEC-Risk Institute—Asia.