Like absolute return strategies, property or real estate assets serve not only as a powerful diversifier, but they also protect the portfolio by generating returns that are not typically correlated with other traditional assets such as publicly traded equities. Colleges in Oxford and Cambridge historically owned significant property assets in their endowment portfolios. Their decision to maintain a relatively high proportion of property assets today is driven by the desire to diversify risk as well as to secure a steady source of income.
Keywords: Oxford, Cambridge, investment, real estate, property assets, endowments, asset allocation, risk