Art of Asset Allocation : Principles and Investment Strategies for Any Market

The fully revised classic on employing asset allocation techniques to grow real wealth

A global leader and preeminent expert in asset allocation, David Darst delivers his masterwork on the topic. In a fully updated and expanded second edition of The Art of Asset Allocation, Morgan Stanley's Chief Investment Strategist covers the historic market events, instruments, asset classes, and economic forces that investors need to be aware of as they create asset-building portfolios. He then explains how to use modern asset allocation concepts and tools to augment returns and control risks in a wide range of financial market environments. This completely revised edition shows how to achieve asset balance with the author's proven methods, decades of expertise, relevant charts, practical tools, and astute analyses.

Known as the king of asset allocation, Darst brings his expertise to bear to provide complete asset class descriptions, identifying historical risk, return, and correlation characteristics for all major asset classes. Using actual data, he explains the differences between tactical and strategic asset allocation, outlines clear rebalancing guidelines, and includes an annotated guide to both traditional and Internet-based information sources.

Praise for the first edition:

“You want to be a better investor, a better client, or a better advisor? DEVOUR THIS BOOK NOW!”-James J. Cramer

“David Darst is the expert on Asset Allocation. He has chosen to share his decades of practical experience in The Art of Asset Allocation, to the benefit of professional and individual investors alike.”-Seth A. Klarman

David M. Darst is a Managing Director and the Chief Investment Strategist for Morgan Stanley's Global Wealth Management division, as well as a CFA charterholder and a member of the New York Society of Security Analysts. A highly sought-after international speaker, Darst is the author of Mastering the Art of Asset Allocation, The Complete Bond Book, and The Handbook of the Bond and Money Markets.