Ninety two per cent of institutional investors and family offices have allocated to two or more funds in 2016 while 73 per cent of investors reported a net increase in their investments to alternative investment strategies since 2015.
The survey, conducted at Context Summits West 2016, also reveals that 59 per cent of allocators viewed the US presidential election as the greatest macro headwind facing the market in the fourth quarter of 2016.
In total, managers and allocators representing over USD250 billion in combined assets attended the two-day conference, which connects qualified investors with private fund managers via one-on-one meetings.
In February 2016, Context Summits conducted a similar allocator survey at Context Summits Miami 2016. Among the key findings were that 79 per cent of investors planned to increase allocations to hedge fund managers in 2016.
"This survey data reinforces the key findings uncovered from our Miami allocator survey, which showed that investors continue to actively evaluate and allocate to new managers," says Mark Salameh, co-founder and chief executive officer of Context Summits. "While investors are maintaining a close eye on the upcoming presidential election, the data indicates that investors are positioning their portfolios for the long-term and less concerned with short term price movements in risk assets."