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Alternatives Playbook

Our outlook, asset class views, and allocation guidance for private markets and liquid alternatives investments. It leverages our institutional investment expertise, deep resources, and global investment platform.

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Q4 2024 alternatives outlook

With the global monetary policy easing cycle underway, its impact on alternatives is in focus for the fourth quarter. The tightening cycle seems to have subdued inflation, and the Federal Reserve’s (Fed's) concerns have shifted towards the potential weakness in growth, recently seen in the meaningful increase in the unemployment rate. Their cut likely lowers the probability of a recession, but their projections still emphasize a higher-for-longer rate environment with base rates near 3% for the medium term.1 While there are currently no significant changes to our multi-alternative asset class positioning, we’ll continue to monitor macroeconomic conditions as their impact on markets is unclear. Private markets and liquid alternatives are still appropriate tools to help investors improve growth, enhance potential income, and diversify a portfolio,2 in our view.

Asset class views

We remain neutral on how we’re allocating risk within our alternatives portfolio due to elevated downside growth risks, high equity valuations, and benign capital markets activity. In general, we’re more defensive, favoring private debt and hedged strategies versus private equity. Within asset classes, we look for assets that don’t rely on leverage to generate returns, which we’ll reassess as base rates are lowered.

Private real assets outlook and positioning

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Private credit outlook and positioning

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Private equity outlook and positioning

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Hedge funds outlook and positioning

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Listed real assets and commodities

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Digital assets outlook and positioning

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Get an in-depth look at our alternatives Q4 outlook and positioning based on valuations, fundamentals, and secular trends.

Asset allocations to consider

Adding private market and liquid alternatives assets to an investment portfolio may be able to provide enhanced returns, volatility mitigation,9 diversification,2 and income potential.10 Advisors are looking to increase their allocation to alternatives according to research from Cerulli Associates, in partnership with the Investments & Wealth Institute (IWI).11 (See asset allocations below.)

Advisor-reported current asset allocations
Advisor-reported optimal asset allocations

Sample alternatives allocations

For those thinking about adding alternative investments to portfolios, consider our sample allocations. The actual allocations will vary based on a client's objectives, risk tolerance, comfort with illiquid investments, and how alternatives fit into their overall portfolio. We also provide suggestions on how to consider funding new alternatives allocations using traditional portfolio assets.

Asset class Sample allocation Liquidity scale Role in portfolio Funding source Related products
Private equity 20 - 30% Low Growth 100% equities N/A
Private real assets 20 - 30% Low Growth
Income
Diversification2
50% equities
50% fixed income
Invesco Real Estate
Private credit 20 - 30% Low Income
Diversification2
30% equities
70% fixed income
XCRTX
 
Hedge funds 10 - 20% Medium Diversification2 100% fixed income N/A
Listed real assets and commodities 3 - 10% High Growth
Income
Diversification2
70% equities
30% fixed income
PDBC
MLPTX
Digital assets 0 - 7% High Growth
Diversification2
80% equities
20% fixed income
BTCO
QETH

These sample allocations are recommended starting points for how to incorporate an asset class into an alternatives bucket. Of the 13.3% reported optimal allocation to alternatives, the above sample allocations provide percentages for allocating among the alternatives asset classes.

Get positioning for your equity and fixed income allocations in our monthly Portfolio Playbook

Alternatives at Invesco 

Diversify portfolios with alternative assets across public and private markets to achieve enhanced returns and mitigate risk.

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Footnotes

  • 1

    Source: Federal Reserve median target projections as of Sept. 18, 2024.

  • 2

    Diversification – Private Real Estate Debt Direct correlation to other asset classes: Private Real Estate Debt – 1.00, Direct Lending  – 0.32; Senior Loans – 0.19; High Yield – 0.17; Private Real Estate Equity – 0.29; Corporate Bonds – 0.08; CMBS – (0.09); Investment Grade Bonds – (0.11); Treasuries – (0.27); U.S. Equity – 0.21. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or eliminate the risk of loss. There is no guarantee that any trends shown herein will continue. Correlation is the degree to which two investments have historically moved in relation to each other.

  • 3

    Source: Pitchbook “2Q24 Global M&A Report” as of 6/30/24.

  • 4

    Source: Invesco, Bloomberg as of Aug, 31, 2024. Correlations are measured from Jan. 2000 to Dec. 2023 between the HFRI Global index (Hedge funds) and traditional assets, namely global fixed income (Bloomberg Global Agg 0.28) and Global Equities (MSCI ACWI 0.7). The HFRX Global Hedge Fund Index is designed to be representative of the overall composition of the hedge fund universe. It is comprised of all eligible hedge fund strategies falling within four principal strategies: equity hedge, event driven, macro/CTA, and relative value arbitrage. The Bloomberg Global Aggregate Bond Index is a broad-based index that measures the performance of global investment grade fixed-rate debt markets. It includes a variety of bonds and securities from both developed and emerging markets. The MSCI All Country World (ACWI) Index, which is a market capitalization weighted global equity index that tracks the performance of developed and emerging markets.

  • 5

    Sources: Invesco Real Estate, Bloomberg L.P., as of Dec. 31, 2023. US-listed real estate average 20.6% return, and US equities average 13.8% return in 12-month periods after last Federal Reserve rate hike. Listed real estate defined as the FTSE NARIET Equity REITS index. US equities defined as the S&P 500 index. Analysis period from 1/1/1999 -12/31/2023. The three rate hike periods identified are described by the Federal Reserve's actions between June 1999 and May 2000 where the federal funds target rate was raised to 6.5% from a starting level of 5.0%, between June 2004 and June 2006 where it was raised to 5.25% from a starting level of 1.00%, between Dec 2015 and Dec 2018, where it was raised to 2.5% from a starting level of 0.00-0.25%. The subsequent one-year returns begin the first of the month following each respective rate hike period described. Past performance does not guarantee future results. An investment cannot be made into an index. The FTSE NAREIT All Equity REITs Index is a free-float adjusted, market capitalization-weighted index of US equity REITs.

  • 6

    Source: Bloomberg L.P., as of Aug. 30, 2024. The Alerian MLP Index (28.8% annualized returns) has outperformed the S&P 500 Index (9.4% annualized returns) for the three year period ended Aug. 30, 2024. Past performance does not guarantee future results. An investment cannot be made into an index.

  • 7

    Source: Bloomberg L.P. Commodities represented by the S&P GSCI Excess Return Index (SPGSCIP). Initial rate cut in July 5, 1995. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

  • 8

    Source: Bloomberg galaxy crypto index as of Sept. 26, 2024. Q1 performance was 57.3% while performance since-to-date has been -22%. The Bloomberg Galaxy Crypto Index is a capped market capitalization-weighted index designed to measure the performance of the largest digital assets. Past performance does not guarantee future results. An investment cannot be made into an index.

  • 9

    Enhanced returns, volatility mitigation: Source: Invesco Real Estate.  Trailing 5-years of data, last 5 years of quarterly returns annualized 2019Q1-2023Q4, latest data available. Total returns and standard deviation (annualized) by asset class: Direct Lending  – 9.09% and 3.70; Private Real Estate Debt – 6.88% and 0.77; Senior Loans – 5.83% and 8.58; High Yield – 5.35% and 10.94; Private Real Estate Equity – 4.34% and 5.42; Corporate Bonds – 2.63% and 9.52; CMBS – 1.60% and 5.35; Investment Grade Bonds – 1.10% and 6.57; Treasuries – 0.53% and 6.89; U.S. Equity 15.68% and 19.72, respectively. Past performance is not indicative of future results. There is no guarantee that any trends shown herein will continue. Standard deviation measures a portfolio’s or index’s range of total returns in comparison to the mean.

  • 10

    Income Potential: Source: Invesco Real Estate.  Trailing 5-years of data, last 5 years of quarterly returns annualized 2019Q1-2023Q4, latest data available. 5-Year Average Distribution Yields: Direct Lending  – 9.99%; Private Real Estate Debt – 8.43%; Senior Loans – 6.74%; High Yield – 6.50%, Private Real Estate Equity – 4.23%; Corporate Bonds – 3.54%; Commercial Mortgage Bonds (CMBS) – 3.24%; Investment Grade Bonds – 2.81%; Treasuries – 2.23%. Past performance is not indicative of future results. An investment cannot be made into an index. There is no guarantee that any trends shown herein will continue.

  • 11

    Source: Cerulli Research: Advisors were asked. "Across your client portfolios, please estimate their typical alternatives asset allocation. How do you expect this to change in the next two years, and what would be the optimal asset allocation? (Optimal Asset Allocation: If there were no investment restrictions and clients had a strong knowledge of alternatives. Please estimate the optimal allocation for your core client segment.)" Other buckets provided were equities and fixed income. Survey conducted in Q2 2023.