10th Annual Southwest Institutional Forum

Portfolio Construction - Finding the Best Opportunities in 2025 Many are calling this a new investment era with opportunities for investors that have never been seen before. Market movements, fiscal challenges, the denominator effect, and revised globalization have all created unique opportunities for investors who go well beyond the traditional 60/40 portfolio construct.

Opportunities in Securitized Credit Securitized credit provides more opportunities to achieve higher credit quality while maintaining a yield advantage, as compared to those invested in government or corporate credit-focused strategies. Panelists discuss how this strategy can allow investors an opportunity to diversify credit risk by moving to an asset class that has not been as distorted by capital flows driven by QE, and focuses on collateral backed by consumer, housing, or real estate related assets.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Investing in the Future Identifying strategies that consistently outperform the market continues to be an imperative for allocators and managers. Finding investment partners that incorporate inclusive and equitable practices in their operations and strategies has also become critical. Recent studies have found that companies with greater diversity in leadership ranks are more likely than those with less diverse leadership to perform better than industry average on margin growth.

Navigating Markets in 2025: Investment Strategies and Macroeconomic Outlook The financial landscapes continue to evolve in an era marked by unprecedented global events and with the US presidential election around the corner. Investors are faced with the imperative challenge to construct resilient portfolios in the face of economic shifts and market volatility.

Fixed Income: Trends Shaping Today’s Landscape Federal Reserve rate cuts are undetermined, but what will result from the Federal Reserve’s balance sheet and the U.S. Government’s borrowing needs? Given this precarious moment in time, investors are left wondering what role bonds should play within their portfolios.

The Equity Calculation: Evaluating its Effect on Portfolios The equities market faces substantial influence from earnings expectations, elections and policy considerations, sector bets, slowing economies and interest rates. Will the rally continue?

Institutional Views on Private Credit’s Growing Portfolio Utility & Importance Great Recession-era bank regulations helped fuel the rise of private credit, as investors looked for more attractive returns. The rise is not without its challenges, and private-credit investors are preparing to face higher borrowing costs and a slower economy weighing on the margins of portfolio companies. How are investors cutting through the challenges facing private credit?

Recognizing Emerging Markets’ Opportunities and Challenges Understanding the dynamic landscape of emerging markets is crucial for allocators who want to explore the unique opportunities and challenges that come with investing in these regions. With global economic tides constantly shifting it's important to have a sound asset allocation strategy that includes emerging markets.

Sustainability-Considerations for a Successful Institutional Investment Strategy Numerous institutional investors think asset managers should be more proactive in developing new ESG products. ESG has moved from being a niche consideration to a central component of strategic institutional investment.

Alternatives – Time to Shine With interest rates relatively high and central banks around the world continuing to fight inflation, which alternatives offer the most meaningful diversification and how can the best managers be sourced?

Effectively Investing Through Private Markets; Diversification & Returns As investors search for additional sources of revenue and methods for portfolio diversification in the volatile and changing environment, private markets stand out as an area of opportunities. The panel brings together leading alternatives investors and allocators to share the role private equity, private debt, venture capital and more play in their portfolios and what they look for in managers to meet their objectives in these asset classes.

Real Assets: Agriculture, Infrastructure, Natural Resources & Energy In this session we focus on the world of tangible investments, where real assets play a crucial role in building long-term investment returns. The discussion will involve both allocators and managers who have hands-on experience in sectors such as transportation, energy, and telecommunications.

Leadership Roundtable: Decision-Making in Disruptive Times In the midst of all this operational, cultural, and technological change, businesses must make strategic decisions on how to run and steer their firms in the face of these challenges. Leading institutional investors shed light on the most pressing investment and management issues facing their organizations.