RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Portable Alphas from Pension Mispricing JF The Journal of Portfolio Management FD Institutional Investor Journals SP 44 OP 53 DO 10.3905/jpm.2006.644193 VO 32 IS 4 A1 Francesco Franzoni A1 José M. Marín YR 2006 UL https://pm-research.com/content/32/4/44.abstract AB Between 1989 and 2004, a portfolio based on the systematic mispricing of U.S. companies sponsoring defined-benefit pension plans produced a monthly average excess return of 1.51% and a Sharpe ratio of 0.26 monthly. The returns of this strategy are not explained by those of the primary assets, nor are they related to most of the benchmarks in the alternative investments industry either. Two striking properties of this “pure alpha” strategy are that its returns are negatively correlated with credit spreads and that it does reasonably well in tumultuous times, making it an attractive investment as a hedge for the risks of default and illiquidity.TOPICS: Security analysis and valuation, portfolio construction, long-term/retirement investing