Gold, Active Management, and Macro Hedge Funds: The Alaska Permanent Fund's Unconventional Allocation

The Interview: The Alaska Permanent Fund is the $75 billion sovereign wealth fund of the state of Alaska, and since oil was discovered in Alaska in the 1970s, the APF has been receiving royalties and investing that capital on behalf of Alaskan citizens. Every year, it pays out a dividend—a form of UBI—to the citizens, who also do not pay any state income tax. In this interview with Sean Fieler, president and CIO of Equinox Partners, Marcus Frampton, CIO of the APF, explains his own unconventional views on investing and how he is bucking the trend in the large institutional investor space. Together, they discuss why Frampton has allocated the APF in gold, active management, and macro hedge funds while resisting the urge to chase private equity like many of his peers. They also discuss Frampton's personal investing style and why he is so attracted to micro-cap stocks and OTC markets.

Recorded on March 31, 2021.

Key Learnings: Institutional investors, who are the major forces in global markets, are largely driven by the actuarial projections of consultants and, with a few exceptions like Marcus Frampton and the APF, tend to cluster into similar portfolios and assets.

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