On Wednesday, November 30, 2022, Canterbury Consulting's Director of Research, Stuart Blair, CAIA participated on a panel at the Canada West Institutional Forum in Vancouver. Mr. Blair sat on the opening session discussing Asset Allocation and Macro Economic Outlook. The panel covered a range of topics inclusive of: th…
A securities-based line of credit, or SBLOC, could help tide you over when purse strings are tight. Life happens. At some point, you might need quick cash for a down payment or to cover an unexpected expense, but may not be sure whether it warrants raiding your emergency savings. You could sell some of your investments…
President Donald Trump has repeatedly warned that the stock market is doomed if he loses the 2020 election and Democrats take the White House. But looking at history, the association of a Republican president with better stock market performance is not steeped in reality. Here’s what’s really the case: Historically, th…
Predictions of massive hedge fund redemptions this year were rife following the volatility of March and April. But with the start of the final quarter of the year approaching and redemption windows coming to a close, it turns out the industry may avoid what some had feared — a crushing year overshadowing brutal 2019 ou…
Canterbury Consulting Inc., a Newport Beach-based financial consulting group best known for advising family offices and non-profit organizations, is raising $82 million for a new fund to target private equity fund opportunities.
“It will provide investors more opportunity to implement material change versus basic cost…
Canterbury Consulting’s Director of Research, Stuart Blair, CAIA, led a roundtable session at the annual SuperReturn U.S. West conference on Wednesday, February 12, 2020. This session focused on sharing best practices, stories of success, and examples of failure. The roundtable discussed the merits and considerations o…
Most nonprofits have probably considered environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investing, or soon will. Interest has escalated, and as a result, advice abounds. Reading it, only one thing seems clear: ESG investing is complex. It seems every answer leads to two questions, and it’s no surprise that many turn away…
Stronger hedge fund performance this year has sparked a slight boost in investor return expectations, but many of them are still not fully satisfied with the results so far as they keep an eye turned toward worries about the equity market cycle, according to a new survey.
Only having 9% of investors report that hedge…
Canterbury Consulting, an independent investment advisory firm with more than $20 billion in assets under advisement, and the University of California, Irvine's Center for Investment and Wealth Management (CIWM), have partnered in the Pacific Life LIFEvest Financial Literacy Residential Program to help underserved Oran…
The frenzied merger and consolidation activity roiling the hedge fund of funds space the last few years may have cooled off, but it has left room for unique deals – and more are likely, experts say.
The resources and overhead required to successfully run a fund of funds could mean some more consolidation or creative a…
Dallas-based Westwood Group is joining the growing list of managers offering new fee models designed to appeal to investors who don’t want to pay active management fees for passive-like performance. Some critics say performance fees encourage portfolio managers to take excessive risk to hit their targets, but Westwood…
The majority of hedge fund investors are keeping their overall allocations to the asset class steady during 2019, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be picking new managers. Growth for hedge fund managers in 2019 could come from reallocations, as investors target new strategies and dive further into areas such as co-inve…
The majority of hedge fund investors are keeping their overall allocations to the asset class steady during 2019, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be picking new managers. Growth for hedge fund managers in 2019 could come from reallocations, as investors target new strategies and dive further into areas such as co-inve…
Canterbury Consulting announced on January 11, 2019 that it has engaged New York-based EnTrustPermal, one of the world's largest global hedge fund and alternative asset managers, to create a custom hedge fund-of-funds solution for its clients.
Large hedge fund managers are increasingly growing their product footprints, but not in the types of strategies where they made their names in the first place. For the industry’s top players, business growth is coming in newer areas, including risk premia, subadvising on mutual funds, and private equity-like funds.
Opportunities for growth remain around customized solutions, but challenges remain ahead for the fund of funds space, especially with fee pressure, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting.
“If you’re below $10 billion, it’s hard to run a business based on the fee schedules and the work that ne…
On September 17, 2018, Canterbury Consulting’s Director of Research, Stuart Blair, CAIA, chaired the panel “Opportunities in Private Debt & Alternative Fixed Income” at the 2018 ALTSSV Conference, an annual forum focused on venture capital, private equity, private debt, hedge funds, and real assets, hosted in Silic…
The hedge fund industry’s largest players have continued growing in size, despite pressure over fees and performance the last few years, with Bridgewater Associates remaining at the top of the pack, followed by fast-growing AQR Capital Management and Man Group, both of which grew assets by more than 40% since 2016, acc…
The LIFEvest Financial Literacy Program — hosted by the Center for Investment and Wealth Management (CIWM) at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Paul Merage School of Business — is an on-campus immersion program dedicated to helping underserved students who have the potential to be first generation college stud…
Cash is creeping back. With interest rates rising and the stock market cooling from its big gains last year, some savers and investors are placing more money into once-dormant cash-related products such as money market funds, bank certificates of deposit and Treasury securities.
It’s been a rough few years for the hedge fund of funds space in which liquidations vastly outpaced launches and numerous mergers and acquisitions consolidated the market. But the pace could be starting to level off, industry watchers say, as investors look increasingly to fund of funds shops for customization and nich…
In the hedge fund industry, the big keep getting bigger — and their ranks keep growing – with the number of funds managing over a $1 billion hitting a new record. The number of investors dedicating over $1 billion to the sector also ticking up.
The number of hedge funds with at least $1 billion in assets under managem…
Hedge funds are adjusting to a fundamental industry shift splitting the sector between cheap, scalable products and high-fee alpha generating vehicles, according to a new report.
For many hedge fund managers, offering lower cost products still presents a major challenge, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Cant…
Fund of funds clients remain focused on fees and it’s the largest managers that have the ability to keep fees competitive – creating a challenging environment for smaller players, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting.
“[I’m] not surprised to continue to see consolidation in the fund of fund…
Stuart Blair agrees that hedge funds are willing to do separate accounts for smaller clients. He says unlike investing through commingled hedge funds, which are “one size, fits all,” institutions get to customize a strategy around their risk tolerance, for instance. In addition, clients get to define the level of trans…
Canterbury Consulting’s Director of Research, Stuart Blair, CAIA, participated in two panel discussions at the annual SuperReturn U.S. West conference on Tuesday, February 13, 2018. As a part SuperReturn’s mission to bring the best discussions and events in private equity and venture capital, the conference focused on …
“Nothing has changed from last year. Clients are still hesitant to waning in their interest in hedge funds,” says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting.
“Where we are seeing interest is more in the smaller, niche hedge fund space – hedge funds that can participate in or extract value from pocket…
NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF., November 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Stuart Blair, director of research for Canterbury Consulting, an independent investment advisory firm overseeing $17.2 billion, will be a featured speaker and panel member for the Alternate Investment Summit in December and a moderator at the SuperReturn US West C…
SharesPost’s partnership with Fidelity is uniquely suited to Silicon Valley because the two companies can help investors and entrepreneurs fund charitable causes without having to wait for the companies to go public, she said.
Adding to the pressures, asset owners are beginning to hire general investment consultants for specialty consulting work to reduce the workload on their staffs, said Stuart Blair, director of research at Newport Beach, Calif.-based Canterbury Consulting Inc. "Managing multiple service providers and coordinating their o…
Stuart Blair, CAIA, Canterbury Consulting's director of research, was recently interviewed by Pensions and Investments Online. He gives his insights into an emerging trend in private credit investment lending that may lead to increased risk and distorted returns.
Stuart Blair, CAIA, Canterbury Consulting's director of research, was recently interviewed by Pensions and Investments Online. He gives his insights into an emerging trend in private credit investment lending that may lead to increased risk and distorted returns.
With shrinking amounts of capital in other parts of the hedge fund space, co-investment vehicles also offer an avenue for managers to tap new capital, and there has been a noticeable uptick in offerings from fund of funds platforms in this vein, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting. Investor…
“Investors are growing impatient [being] charged for exposures and return drivers that don’t necessarily serve the purpose that alternatives should be serving in their portfolios,” he says. Client interest in smaller funds has grown in part because of spinouts, with some investors looking to follow talent, says Stuart…
Stuart Blair, CAIA, Director of Research, participated on a panel entitled Value-Added and Opportunistic Investing in Today’s Market at Markets Group’s Pacific Institutional Real Estate Investor Forum Los Angeles. The panel, composed of both investors in equity and debt in real estate and investment fiduciaries, discu…
On June 28, 2017, Canterbury hosted a Q&A dialogue between Jeffrey Brown of Capital Group and Stuart Blair, Director of Research for Canterbury Consulting. Mr. Brown addressed the current political landscape and its impact on financial markets. From the U.S. to the U.K., policy reform will continue to have a significan…
Kinga Gorniak joined investment consultant Canterbury Consulting as v.p. of alternative investment research on June 19, Director of Research Stuart Blair said. Gorniak is responsible for sourcing, evaluating and monitoring private market managers, Blair said. She will also serve as chairwoman of the firm’s private capi…
Funds of funds still have appeal, especially for smaller allocators that want access to the hedge fund space and want to build out their portfolios, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting. Clients are focused on performance and fees, but most remain happy with the access funds of funds are pro…
Still, investors are looking for performance numbers, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting. “There is no story they can weave or tell that will satisfy clients. It comes down to actions,” he says.
One noticeable change has been an uptick in managers wanting to explain negative situations, B…
Positive global economic data led to a rally in risky assets over the quarter. Emerging markets outperformed all major asset classes as improving global growth characteristics resulted in better trade prospects. Risk-on assets also benefited as U.S. trade and protectionist…
A sign in a corporate IT office once read, “Advice: $10. Good Advice: $1000.”
It’s obvious that when it comes to certain things, you do get what you pay for. In the investment advice industry, however, the amount you pay for insight may not necessarily be based on the quality of the advice, but instead on the compensa…
Different time horizons and cultures in private equity firms and hedge funds have led to some mismatches as private equity shops expanded their alts offerings, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting. With private equity shops used to pulling levers and hiring talent to improve performance, the…
The long bull market and a wave of large hedge funds experiencing performance challenges have been prime factors leading investors to move capital around, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting.
Given the prospect of higher interest rates, Stuart Blair, director of research for Canterbury Consulting wealth management firm in Newport Beach (Orange County), says that he’s advising clients to stick to safer assets. “On the venture side, we’re hearing (dollars raised from) new rounds are coming down,” Blair said.…
While macro and event driven strategies could find opportunities in the new year, the broader hedge fund market is likely to continue experiencing some pain in 2017 as investors question fees and look for a better alignment of interests, says Stuart Blair, director of research at Canterbury Consulting.
“It’s confounding,” said Stuart Blair, director of research for the Canterbury Consulting. “Valuations are already pretty high. At some point, there will be a correction in the markets. But all that seems to have changed now that we have Trump.”
“A president can help push the economy in a certain direction,” said Stuart Blair, director of research for Canterbury Consulting in Newport Beach. “But there shouldn’t be any major changes to the economy. No matter who comes in, there will be some short-term volatility, but in the long term, that will pass.”
“A president can help push the economy in a certain direction,” said Stuart Blair, director of research for Canterbury Consulting in Newport Beach. “But there shouldn’t be any major changes to the economy. No matter who comes in, there will be some short-term volatility, but in the long term, that will pass.”
“A president can help push the economy in a certain direction,” said Stuart Blair, director of research for Canterbury Consulting in Newport Beach. “But there shouldn’t be any major changes to the economy. No matter who comes in, there will be some short-term volatility, but in the long term, that will pass.”
Avoid what's trending. "Five years ago we had clients who wanted to invest in gold, because everyone was talking about it," says Stuart Blair director of research for Canterbury Consulting in Newport Beach, California. "We counseled them not to make an unnatural tactical play because if you get caught up in the excitem…
Stuart Blair, CAIA, Director of Research, participated on a panel entitled Using ETFs to Enter New Markets and Sectors at the 2016 IMN Global Indexing & ETFs Conference. The panel, composed of both advisors and creators and providers of ETFs, discussed the ongoing innovation in the ETF market and the associated risks…
The Intelligence Revolution Webinar: Exploring the Past, Present, and Future of AI
April 2023
Stuart Blair, CAIA, Director of Research, Canterbury Consulting and Kellan Carter, General Partner, FUSE Ventures discussed the advancements, ethics, and impact of Artificial Intelligence.
