Alternative Investments Hit $5.7 Trillion As Macquarie Tops List

This year alternative investments accounted for $5.7 trillion in assets under management, as real estate managers take the largest share and pension funds gobble up most of the investment products.

"smart beta” in focus as a legitimate alternative

While there remains an appetite for alpha-centric hedge fund exposure, the report from the consulting firm of Towers Watson & Co (NYSE:TW) and the Financial Times notes "smart beta” was in focus as a legitimate alternative.

“Investors continue to view the hedge fund portfolio as a decorrelating and diversifying allocation and we can expect strategies that offer very low correlation characteristics to have prominence, including smart beta,” the report...