Asset managers and asset owners, such as pension funds, insurers, endowments and sovereign funds, hold a large share of the world’s savings on behalf of beneficiaries whose horizons run for decades. Modern portfolio theory teaches that diversification reduces risk, and for many risks it does. But some risks are systemic: they affect most assets at once and cannot be diversified away. Financial economists call this market or systematic risk.
Beberapa kekuatan membuat eksposur sistemik semakin mendesak. Investasi indeks dan tolok ukur bersama membuat banyak portofolio memegang aset serupa. Risiko iklim fisik mengancam aset riil dan perusahaan yang bergantung padanya di berbagai wilayah. Transisi dalam energi, teknologi, dan demografi mengubah model bisnis mana yang tetap layak. Dan likuiditas dapat menghilang di berbagai pasar pada saat yang sama, ketika banyak investor mencoba menjual bersamaan.
When such exposures materialise, effects cascade. Falling asset values affect pension funding and household wealth; forced selling by some investors depresses prices for others; and stress in funds can spill into banks and markets. Asset management is therefore part of the financial system’s stability, not only a set of individual investment choices.