Active Management

Active Management Research Alliance


As capital markets have continued to evolve the role of active asset management has changed. Increasingly investment decisions are made across a range of liquid, semi-liquid, and illiquid investment vehicles that span public and private markets. The Active Management Research Alliance seeks to better understand how the investment management process is impacted by the increased adoption of “alternative investments.”

The primary area of focus currently is the intersection of public and private markets and the role of hedge funds in the financial intermediation process. The Hedge Fund industry has grown to over 3 trillion USD in assets under management yet research on investment strategies and portfolio benefits related to hedge funds has lagged this growth. The deficit is largely due to low-quality data on funds because of limited public disclosure requirements. AMRA works with industry partners to expand the breadth and depth of hedge fund data available to academic researchers.

Latest Active Management Research

How Do Financial Expertise and Networks Affect Investing? Evidence from University Endowments

April 25, 2021

Working Paper

We examine the links between human capital and endowment investing. Harnessing detailed information on university endowments, we find that higher asset allocations to alternative assets accompany higher levels of human capital in the endowment’s investment process. Moreover, high levels of human capital are linked to larger returns, even on a risk-adjusted basis. More

Hedge Funds and the Treasury Cash-Futures Disconnect

April 01, 2021

Working Paper

We document the rise and fall of an arbitrage trade among hedge funds known as the Treasury cash-futures basis trade. This trade exploited a fundamental disconnect between cash and futures prices of Treasuries. We show that in recent years a replicating portfolio of Treasury bills and futures has been overvalued relative to Treasury notes and bonds, creating an opportunity for arbitrageurs. More

The Hedge Fund Industry is Bigger (and has Performed Better) Than You Think

March 08, 2021

Working Paper

Of first-order importance to the study of potential systemic risks in hedge funds is the aggregate size of the industry. The worldwide hedge fund industry has been estimated by regulators and industry experts as having total net assets under management of $2.3–3.7 trillion as of the end of 2016. More

Who We Are

Alon Brav

Peterjohn-Richards Professor of Finance, Duke University Fuqua School

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Randy Cohen

Senior Lecturer, Harvard Business School

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Arpit Gupta

Assistant Professor, NYU Stern School of Business

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Wei Jiang

Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Finance, Emory University Goizueta Business School

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Russell Wermers

Bank of America Professor of Finance & Director, Center for Financial Policy, University of Maryland

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Christian Lundblad

Director, Senior Fellow, IPC; Edward M. O’Herron Distinguished Scholar and Professor of Finance, University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

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Christopher Polk

Professor of Finance, Head of Department at London School of Economics

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Adam Reed

Julian Price Scholar in Finance and Associate Professor of Finance, University of North Carolina, Kenan-Flagler Business School

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