Two new series of Perspectives have been launched by consulting firm Mercer, one issued by its equity boutique and the other by its bond boutique. The publications join their alternatives boutique's offering, which premiered in February of this year, and are expected to be issued twice annually; the alternatives boutique is scheduled to publish its second Perspectives in the fall of 2010.
The publications, available to clients, offer articles on several topics within each issue. The equity issue, with a launch date of June, contains three pieces. The first is on best execution within a portfolio, just what constitutes best practices, and how clients and consultants can ask the right questions of their investment managers to determine whether best practices are in use.
The second article tackles the question of fees, their effects on investment managers, and how a fee structure can best be devised to reward performance over the long, rather than the short, term – thus rewarding investment skill rather than luck.
A third piece is a Q&A with Deb Clarke, global business and investment leader for Mercer's equities boutique, about the growing interest in, and challenges and risks of, emerging markets.
