Rethinking Investment Performance Attribution

Proprietary information and data-processing systems have become key competitive differentiators for investors; better systems provide better data, which in turn drive better investment decisions and performance. But while the best systems are multifaceted and touch all aspects of the investment organization, one component of such systems is increasingly important: the measurement and attribution of investment performance. Performance attribution should do more than just explain the past; it should also be a tool to make better future investment decisions. This article describes the Alberta Investment Management Corporation's journey to develop a performance attribution system as an investment management tool, in the hope of contributing to the institutional investor debate on how to best address this important topic