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	<title>Investment Articles &#187; Investment Performance</title>
	<atom:link href="http://investmentarticle.com/category/investment-management/investment-performance/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://investmentarticle.com</link>
	<description>Professional investment articles offering excellent advices</description>
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		<title>Property Investments &#8211; How Have Niche Property Investments Performed?</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/property-investments-how-have-niche-property-investments-performed.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/property-investments-how-have-niche-property-investments-performed.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 May 2012 18:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Fund]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Funds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Investment Performance of Niche Property Investments

Again, it is difficult to define the investment performance of the property sector as a whole within the context of this document, due to the wide variety of sub-sectors and regions which must be considered. In the UK for example, residential real estate has delivered markedly different performance for each Investor that has participated depending on their strategy (buy to let/distressed assets/development etc), and residential property as a whole has delivered a different performance to commercial property or student accommodation. The same can be said for every combination of sector, strategy and region, therefore the context of this document does not allow for a detailed analysis of the investment performance of the sector as a whole.

Residential - The UK market offers some interesting opportunities, as depressed prices combine with a lack of buyer financing to create a viable rental market that can deliver yields of between 4% and 8% after costs.]]></description>
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		<title>How Have Real-Asset Alternative Investments Performed Compared to Equities?</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/how-have-real-asset-alternative-investments-performed-compared-to-equities.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/how-have-real-asset-alternative-investments-performed-compared-to-equities.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 09 Apr 2012 14:30:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Vehicle]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The $32 billion Harvard University Endowment Fund, which generated a return of 21.4% in the fiscal year 2011, has 23% of its investments held in real-assets, which according the CEO of Harvard Management Company; Jane Mendillo, has been a significant contributor to the fund outperforming its benchmark over the last decade by 270 basis points per year, adding roughly $15 billion of value versus what would have been earned by a more traditional portfolio. The University of Notre Dame also holds a significant proportion of its portfolio in real-assets (17.5%), and delivered a return of 21.5% in 2011. The Yale University Endowment Fund delivered a return of 21.9% in 2011, and holds 29% of its portfolio in real-assets, including real estate and natural resources.

This article seeks to review the investment performance of a range of real-assets, compare that performance to the performance of UK equities, and establish the effect of real-assets on the performance of investment portfolios.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Investment Alternatives &#8211; Inherent Risks</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/investment-alternatives-inherent-risks.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/investment-alternatives-inherent-risks.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:00:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This article addresses some of the risks associated with real-asset investment alternatives in general.

As with any potential transaction, all investments carry risk, and in the case of alternatives those risks are often very specific to the asset class, here we address some of the general risks associated with moveable and immoveable properties considered as alternative investments. This risk-set can be broadly defined and categorised as:

Sector Risk
Location Risk
Asset Specific Risk
Counterparty Risk

Sector Specific Risk

As is the case with traditional financial investments, hard-assets carry risks specific to their sector. For example, in the case of agricultural land, Investors must be aware that a variety of exogenous variables can affect the investment performance of the property.]]></description>
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		<title>Alternative Investments &#8211; Portfolio Planning Characteristics</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-portfolio-planning-characteristics.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-portfolio-planning-characteristics.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:30:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Financial Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Asset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Assets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Returns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Risk]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[This article focuses primarily on real-asset investments, and this section is designed to highlight some of portfolio planning characteristics of physical assets when considered as part of a well-diversified and balanced portfolio of investments, as well as some of the inherent risks to be considered when allocating investment capital to specific, niche investment sectors or projects.

Whilst real or hard-assets offer a number of significant benefits including reduced volatility, tangible asset values and the potential for superior investment performance that is not reliant on the performance of traditional financial investments, potential investors must give equal consideration to the potential for relative illiquidity, operational or management risks specific to the asset class, and of course counterparty risk exposure when investing in assets that require on-going expert management in order to maximise returns and minimise downside potential.

Portfolio Planning Advantages

Every asset class exhibits different characteristics when considered from the point of view of an Investor or Financial Planner, and Investors invariable choose to invest in specific assets in order to achieve specific goals such as risk mitigation, portfolio insurance, superior returns and a hedge against inflation or some other potential economic impact on the value and performance of their portfolio.

Here we look at some of the broad portfolio planning characteristics associated with a range of physical assets considered as alternative investments.

Capital Values

By their very nature, physical assets retain a disposal value throughout most economic circumstances, and whilst asset values will fluctuate from time to time, Investors allocate capital to hard-assets in order to underwrite the value of their portfolio and insure against the possibility of the values of listed financial assets falling sharply at any given moment. In fact, certain assets such as gold hold a 'safe-haven' appeal, often rising in value when stock markets falls as Investors sell equities and buy gold.

Non-Correlated Returns

The fundamentals that support value growth and income associated with real-assets are often far removed from the fundamentals that support traditional investments. Often, alternatives share a direct negative correlation with the performance of equities and bonds, affording investors the opportunity to balance their portfolios and make gains when other portfolio components lose value or underperform.]]></description>
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		<title>Alternative Investments &#8211; 2 Key Assets That Will Continue to Grow in Value</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-2-key-assets-that-will-continue-to-grow-in-value.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-2-key-assets-that-will-continue-to-grow-in-value.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Ask any experienced investor over the age of 50 what type of real-asset they wish they'd invested in when they were young, and the vast majority will most likely give one or more of two answers; gold and/or real-estate, and those who pay more of an interest in such matters might even whittle their selection down to niche agricultural real estate including farmland and timberlands. Why so then would anyone with 30 years of investing experience behind them, having seen rise and fall of many fads, bubbles, booms and busts, consider physical, tangible and useful assets in precisely the same light as the wealthy of centuries gone by, when value was literally only stored in land and precious items like gold and jewels?

OK, so put aside for a second that the recorded investment performance of farmland and forestry investments has outperformed the vast majority of traditional assets like equities for decades, it is now becoming ever-more apparent that the sensible investor, especially those who have been party to the consistent volatility in financial markets over the years, is choosing to acquire assets that retain a use and essential function, and where demand is growing and availability of suitable resources falling. These assets will always be in pretty high demand, as growing populations shift to a higher protein, more resource-intensive diet, and general population growth requires increased output of agricultural commodities for food and biofuel markets.]]></description>
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		<title>Alternatives Investments &#8211; Making the Most of Your Portfolio</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternatives-investments-making-the-most-of-your-portfolio.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternatives-investments-making-the-most-of-your-portfolio.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:00:14 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Properties]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[There are a number of reasons that seasoned investors chose to invest in alternative assets; mainly of course to diversify in to assets where investment performance is not driven by the performance of financial markets in general; but also in order to capture capital gains and income to replace ailing and volatile equities.

The appeal of real assets like farmland, timberlands, real estate and other, more esoteric assets like fine wine and collectibles, lies in the fact that these assets are all tangible properties, that are likely to retain the majority of their value, and continue to generate income, regardless of whether stock are up or down. The general consensus is that an investment portfolio consisting entirely of stock, bonds and cash is grossly over-exposed to the day to day vagaries of 'the markets'.

Choosing a good stock has become less about the basic underlying fundamentals of the company, and more about market sentiment related to the sector or markets as a whole, and it is this investing environment that pushes investors to seek returns elsewhere, whilst underwriting the value of a portion of their portfolio with capital assets like land or property.

Another good reason that interest in investment alternatives seems to be peaking, is the poor annuity rates offered to new pensioners by insurance companies. In every case, new pensioners are being forced to fix their incomes at a much lower rate than they had previously been able to do, causing many to readdress their future lifestyle choices and standard of living.]]></description>
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		<title>Investing in International Equities</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/investing-in-international-equities.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/investing-in-international-equities.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 10 Feb 2012 15:30:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Online Investment]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[So you've set up your online share dealing account, and understand all the associated risks and benefits of such a venture. If you're looking into injecting a bit of added excitement into your online investment portfolio and investing in international equities looks very tempting indeed.

Trading in international equities may look like a glamorous option to leap into feet first, but there are a number of things that you will need to think about before deciding whether investing abroad is the right option for you.

Trading on the international stage, some key considerations.

1) Fluctuations in currency exchange rates may affect the value of returns or the capital value of your investment

2) Investment performance could be impacted by political and overall stability of the country, as well as local markets.

3) Your investment ventures are likely to be subject to the taxation rules of the country you are invested in.

If you think that investing on the international stage may be the right option for you the best place to start is by do some research of your own, in addition to any information provided to you by you online share dealing account provider. Information could prove invaluable especially if you are treading unfamiliar territory.

If you choose an execution only online share dealing account option you will retain sole responsibility for managing your investments.]]></description>
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		<title>Alternative Investments &#8211; Should I Have Them In My Portfolio?</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-should-i-have-them-in-my-portfolio.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-should-i-have-them-in-my-portfolio.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:30:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Asset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Should you hold Alternative Investments in your portfolio?

So you've decided to reduce your exposure to equities in order to avoid the price volatility that seems to be driven by the latest piece of political rhetoric about national debt or economic growth. You're no longer seeing the value of your investments rise and fall by considerable margins on a daily basis, and you're sitting on a nice pile of 'safe' cash. But you probably also need to find a home for your capital where it will grow at least in line with inflation, hopefully generate some income, whilst sharing little correlation with the performance of equities, bonds and other traded financial instruments.

So now is the time you start to consider alternative investments.]]></description>
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		<title>Farmland Investment Performance &#8211; North America 2011</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/farmland-investment-performance-north-america-2011.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/farmland-investment-performance-north-america-2011.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:30:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Asset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Assets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Strategy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The primary measure of farmland investment performance in the United States is the National Council of Real Estate Investment Fiduciaries (NCREIF) Farmland Returns Index. The index provides investors with a measure of the investment performance of a large pool of individual agricultural properties acquired in the private market for investment purposes. According to the index, US farmland returned 8.6% in 2010, and 5.85% to quarter 3 in 2011.

Regional U.S.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Agriculture Investments &#8211; The Potential and Performance of Equity and Real-Asset Investments</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/agriculture-investments-the-potential-and-performance-of-equity-and-real-asset-investments.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/agriculture-investments-the-potential-and-performance-of-equity-and-real-asset-investments.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 28 Nov 2011 14:30:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Equity Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Equity Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Asset]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Assets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[The investment performance of the agriculture sector can be monitored via a number of devices and measures that track the performance of traditional investment assets such as quoted equities, as well as a range of measures that reflect price movements in alternative investment assets within the agriculture space such as farmland.

In reality, the agriculture sector as a whole relies on a combination of demand for its products, weighed against agricultural productivity. When demand for food, livestock feed and biofuels is high then soft-commodity prices rise, as is also the case when poor productivity creates the same widening of the gap between supply and demand. On the other hand, if demand falls back, or bumper harvests create an oversupply of produce, prices fall.

If one is able to gain an understanding of current productivity and demand dynamics, then one is best able to predict the true performance of the sector as a whole.

The performance of agricultural equities alone - as measured by agricultural indices - does not truly reflect the state of fundamentals that support the sector.]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Investors, Traders, and Their Charts</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/investors-traders-and-their-charts.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/investors-traders-and-their-charts.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Sep 2011 22:30:25 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Strategy]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[For traders of financial markets, "timing is (almost) everything." They need all the tools available to gain an edge in perhaps the most difficult of all market tasks: trading.

Yet a number of people associated with financial markets will not be interested in short-term trading. It does not suit their temperament or life style. There are a number of tools associated with these market timing studies that can be invaluable for investors too.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Alternative Investments and Pension Funds</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-and-pension-funds.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-investments-and-pension-funds.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:30:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Alternative Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Returns]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[If recent stock market activity does nothing more, it shows us that volatility continues to be the name of the game when it comes to investing, as Â£120 billion is wiped off the value of UK shares alone in the course of four days.

Investors have traditionally employed a number of strategies such as asset allocation and diversification in an effort to reduce risk. But more recently than ever before, the big investment players such as Pension Funds, Hedge Funds and Sovereign Wealth Funds are turning to alternative investments to generate returns that are not dependent on the performance of traditional assets such as equities and bonds.

A recent report by Morningstar and Barron's; the 2010 Alternative Investment Survey of U.S. Institutions and Financial Advisers, has revealed that institutional investors have allocated more than 25% of their assets under management to alternative investments.

Barclay Capital also recently stated that pension funds have added substantially to their farmland and commodity holdings, with institutional investors expected to hold up to $1 trillion in agricultural assets by 2015, way up from a mere $6 billion held in this asset class ten years ago.

Both institutional and private investors are hoping to generate superior returns in order to boost the performance of their portfolios without dramatically altering the over risk profile, and many see farmland and timber as ideal assets in the current economic climate.

Forestry investments generate profits from the production and sale of timber, so investment returns rely on the biological growth of trees, rather than the performance of financial assets.]]></description>
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		<title>Making Sense of Separately Managed Accounts and Individually Managed Accounts</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/making-sense-of-separately-managed-accounts-and-individually-managed-accounts.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/making-sense-of-separately-managed-accounts-and-individually-managed-accounts.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:00:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Vehicle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Vehicles]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Individually Managed Accounts (IMAs) and Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) both offer investors a highly transparent managed share portfolio while avoiding the tax distortions that come with pooled investment vehicles such as managed funds.

However, there are some important differences between individually and separately managed accounts and while they may sound very similar, these differences can have a significant impact on investment performance, suitability, and tax effectiveness.

In General, Separately Managed Accounts are a good alternative to managed funds for many investors, while investors with $1 million or more, are likely to find the features of an IMA more compelling.

Key differences between the two types of managed accounts rests in their approach to building an investment portfolio.

SMAs are constructed with a 'model portfolio' where each investor receives precisely the same portfolio, based on a template created by the fund manager. IMAs however, are constructed individually for each investor, although each account will share some common holdings. These two approaches have some important differences:

* Investors in a SMA may buy stocks that have already enjoyed most of their returns, but remain in the model portfolio to avoid realising capital gains tax.]]></description>
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		<title>Forestry Investments &#8211; A Review of Timber Investments for Retail Investors</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/forestry-investments-a-review-of-timber-investments-for-retail-investors.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/forestry-investments-a-review-of-timber-investments-for-retail-investors.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 27 Jun 2011 12:30:16 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Managers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Personal Investment]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[We all use timber on a daily basis, in our houses, our furniture, our floors and our roofing, and institutional investors, hedge funds and pension funds have been investing in timber as a long-term growth asset and inflation hedge for decades. However, as more investors discover the little-known fact that timber investments have generally outperformed stocks, bonds, and commodities over the long run, there are now many opportunities for the smaller investor to participate in this alternative asset class.

The demand for timber is growing in line with an ever-expanding population, as the human race multiplies in number we require more timber for construction, yet at the same time, fundamental limits to the supply of natural forests limit the amount of timber we can grow and harvest for our own use.

Deforestation has destroyed 1/5th of the world's forests since 1950, and new global legislation is in place to protect the forests that remain as they play a vital role in carbon sequestration and the ecosystem.

This imbalance between supply and demand creates an outstanding opportunity for investors to acquire assets in short supply and profit from undeniable fundamental trends of population growth and resource scarcity.

Investment Performance
The vast majority of return on investment generated by timber is derived from the biological growth in size of the timber source, from seedling to sapling to fully fledged tree. On average, a single tree's volume of wood will increase by between 2% and 8% every year depending on species, age and climate.]]></description>
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		<title>Guide to Successful Investing &#8211; Take It Seriously</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/guide-to-successful-investing-take-it-seriously.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/guide-to-successful-investing-take-it-seriously.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Mar 2011 18:30:12 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[If you've chosen to manage your own money you've taken on one of the most important tasks which will ever befall you in life. Apart from the love of our families, and perhaps our careers, the next most important thing is how we manage our money. That is, whether that little bit you've set aside grows, stagnates, or worse, whether it shrivels and dies.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Alternative Factors To Consider In Evaluation of Socially Responsible Investing Fund Performance</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-factors-to-consider-in-evaluation-of-socially-responsible-investing-fund-performance.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/alternative-factors-to-consider-in-evaluation-of-socially-responsible-investing-fund-performance.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 22:30:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Equity Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Manager]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[As a Socially Responsible Investment manager the most common question we hear from potential clients is "and adviser told me that socially responsible investing isn't profitable" versus non-screened portfolio management. In general the adviser providing the dogmatic opinion does not offer any foundation for their opinion but this is their chance to influence the potential client especially if they cannot offer an Socially Responsible Investing (SRI) option for the investor. Unless you have a few arrows of your own in your quiver you may be quite likely shrug your shoulders and resign yourself to an non-screened portfolio versus a clean portfolio.

Probably due to the fact that I'm over 50 now with a repellent view of hyperbole and unsubstantiated opinions I have been uncomfortable with opposite view as well: socially responsible investing improves rate of return.]]></description>
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		<title>Should Emerging Markets Be Part of Your Portfolio?</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/should-emerging-markets-be-part-of-your-portfolio.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/should-emerging-markets-be-part-of-your-portfolio.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Aug 2010 14:30:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Here's an interesting question... where are "Emerging Markets" emerging from and into what?

But before we answer that, what are they? "Emerging Markets" refers to countries in the world which have a less developed infrastructure. They tend to be those that are achieving economic growth, but are not as mature as the developed world.

Emerging Market Groupings 

To illustrate this it is worth pointing out how Emerging Markets are often grouped together for investment purposes.]]></description>
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		<title>How Did You Do Compared to the Average Investor?</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/how-did-you-do-compared-to-the-average-investor.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/how-did-you-do-compared-to-the-average-investor.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2010 10:30:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sound Investment]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Many illustrations of investment performance calculate the growth of a hypothetical investment from a given starting point.  Typically there is a benchmark, such as the S&#038;P 500 index, charted alongside for comparison purposes.  The models show that had you invested a specific dollar amount, for example $10,000, you would have the initial $10,000 plus whatever growth through dividend re-investments and asset price appreciation at the end of the evaluation period.  This measures an investment's total return for the period and is based on a buy-and-hold strategy that is quite different from how most people invest.

Controlling Your Emotions?

Morningstar, an independent investment research company, compiled returns for how the average mutual fund investor did during the 2000's. The research added a layer of analysis to the total return calculation by also tracking the cash flows in and out of the mutual fund.  They wanted to see what the performance looked like if you took into account additional buys and sells in the fund during the same time frame.  Then they compared the findings to the buy-and-hold strategy that mutual funds use to report investment performance.  What the findings show is that most investors suffer from bad timing as they get in when prices are high and get out when prices are low.  This is a reflection of how market forces can drive investor emotions and result in behaviors that cause poor relative investment performance.

Slow And Steady

Another interesting discovery is how fund companies provide different investing experiences for the average investor.  The institutions that stick to fundamentally sound investment principles were proven to have better investor returns relative to total returns than those companies that use a short-term, current-trends marketing strategy to attract investors.

Financial Symmetry's composite results for the decade were an average annual rate of return of 4.93% compared to the average annual investor return of 1.68% across all funds.

http://www.finsymnews.com.]]></description>
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		<title>Asset Allocation &#8211; Your Most Important Investment Decision</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/asset-allocation-your-most-important-investment-decision.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/asset-allocation-your-most-important-investment-decision.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:00:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Equity Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Equity Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Returns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Trust]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Choosing an asset allocation, or the mix of stocks, bonds and cash in a portfolio, is the most important decision that you'll face as an investor. A study by Ibbotson Associates concluded that asset allocation decisions determine about 100 percent of investment performance for those who follow a low-cost, long-term investing strategy. Similarly, according to a Dalbar and Associates study, many investors underperform the market because they deviate from their asset allocation plan during market downturns.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Asset Allocation &#8211; Your Most Important Investment Decision</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/asset-allocation-your-most-important-investment-decision.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/asset-allocation-your-most-important-investment-decision.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 14 May 2010 10:30:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Equity Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Equity Investments]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Return]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Returns]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Trust]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">06c7db7de37fa8517e94887e23c5e778</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Choosing an asset allocation, or the mix of stocks, bonds and cash in a portfolio, is the most important decision that you'll face as an investor. A study by Ibbotson Associates concluded that asset allocation decisions determine about 100 percent of investment performance for those who follow a low-cost, long-term investing strategy. Similarly, according to a Dalbar and Associates study, many investors underperform the market because they deviate from their asset allocation plan during market downturns.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>The Secret of Successful Investing Lies in Your Feminine Side</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/the-secret-of-successful-investing-lies-in-your-feminine-side.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/the-secret-of-successful-investing-lies-in-your-feminine-side.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 17:30:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Market]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Our image of a canny investor might be clad in pinstripe, testosterone- fuelled and a ruthless risk-taker. Yet he is in serious danger of being outperformed by those of a more feminine persuasion.

One of the largest studies of investment activity, carried out at the University of California in 2001, showed that men traded 45% more often than women. Yet their average risk-adjusted returns were 1.4% less.]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>5 Reasons Why Women Are Hardly Any Better Investors Than Men</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/5-reasons-why-women-are-hardly-any-better-investors-than-men.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/5-reasons-why-women-are-hardly-any-better-investors-than-men.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:30:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[As a man, I find myself asking myself often, "What is going on in this world?" Is it me or is there a concerted effort, or should I say a case of "trying too hard" to marginalize men in society. Now don't get me wrong, I am all for "women rights," only when women will decide to seek harmony with men. However, "gender equality" should not come at the expense of the rights of men.

That is why it humors me to no end at this current attempt by the feminist propaganda machine to not only blame men for the current economic landscape, but to proclaim, by way of a certain articles (see below), that women are better investors than men.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>How Sharp is the Sharpe Ratio? &#8211; Risk-Adjusted Performance Measures</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/how-sharp-is-the-sharpe-ratio-risk-adjusted-performance-measures.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/how-sharp-is-the-sharpe-ratio-risk-adjusted-performance-measures.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Any discussion on risk-adjusted performance measures must start with the grandfather of all risk measures the Sharpe Ratio or Reward to Variability which divides the excess return of a portfolio in excess of the risk free rate by its standard deviation or variability.

Most risk measures are best described graphically, a measure of return in the vertical axis and a measure of risk in the horizontal axis.

Ideally if investors are risk averse they should be looking for high return and low variability of return, in other words in the top left-hand quadrant of the graph. The Sharpe ratio simply measures the gradient of the line from the risk free rate (the natural starting point for any investor) to the combined return and risk of each portfolio, the steeper the gradient, the higher the Sharpe ratio the better the combined performance of risk and return.

Funds are ranked in order of preference with the Sharpe ratio but it is difficult to judge the extent of relative performance. M2; first proposed by Leah Modigliani and her grandfather Professor Franco Modigliani (1997) offers an alternative risk-adjusted return using the Sharpe ratio of the portfolio but calculated at the risk of the benchmark thus allowing direct comparison.

Investment statistics can either be grouped as Sharpe type combining risk and return in a ratio, risk adjusted returns such as M2 or descriptive statistics which are neither good nor bad but provide information about the pattern of returns of the portfolio manager.]]></description>
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		<title>13 Advantages of Actively Managing Your Money Yourself</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/13-advantages-of-actively-managing-your-money-yourself.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/13-advantages-of-actively-managing-your-money-yourself.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 18:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Idea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Strategy]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">5fe1ca9e4b4b5df73b377f40473b2657</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most investors do not realize, but as a private investor managing his own money, he has got an immense advantage over a fund manager due to factors he may not even be aware of.

Sure it will take up some of your free time but it will probably be one of the most awarding activities you can invest your time in.

We have all worked hard for the money we have saved and it would only be prudent to invest in in the best way possible.

With public pension systems crumbling around the world because of aging populations, making the most of your savings had gotten much more important.

Below are the advantage I have come up with. If you come up with any others please send me a short note.

1. You can waitAs a private investor you can wait for attractive investment opportunities to present themselves.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Investment Strategy For Deflationary Times</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/investment-strategy-for-deflationary-times.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/investment-strategy-for-deflationary-times.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:30:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Good Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Opportunities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Strategy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Safest Investment]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">396778daeed1c4c08ccb9bc9a6edb6e7</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The bursting of the asset bubble amidst a tsunami of financial problems and the economic recession has already erased more than four years of wealth created by world's households and corporations. However, the precipitous drop in wealth is unlikely to end anytime soon. Now there is something else to worry about: deflation.]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Lies, Damned Lies, and Investment Performance</title>
		<link>http://investmentarticle.com/lies-damned-lies-and-investment-performance.html</link>
		<comments>http://investmentarticle.com/lies-damned-lies-and-investment-performance.html#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>admin</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Investment Advisor]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment Performance]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">0d7cb2c8eac9cfb929b7f2fd0b6ed1f5</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mark Twain said "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." His point was that through the judicious selection of data, statistics can be manipulated to prove just about any point a person wants to make. If this is true (and I wouldn't want to argue with Mark Twain), investment performance falls firmly into the same category.

Timing the Market vs. Time In the Market

Arguments for and against the loosely-defined "market timing" is an area that takes the most liberties when it comes to quoting investment performance numbers.]]></description>
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