VALUATIONS & MODEL REVIEW

Whether it is in the context of valuing companies or assets, or analyzing trade or marketplaces, the ability to build, use and scrutinize financial models is paramount.

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Even "experts" often get it wrong.  Sometimes, they build models that are too complex or unwieldy.  At other times they are too simple to capture the true intricacies of the investment or portfolio.  They may be over-fit, incorporating too many unrelated variables, or under-fit, failing to adequately accommodate key variables. 

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Our industry experience is key when building models or validating the outputs of models built externally: it enables to have a stronger understanding of the context and the conditions, and to establish whether the model inputs and right and appropriate.  We also have a keen understanding of the limits of models, and what we can and cannot learn from them.

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In the context of litigation, or otherwise, our team performs regular model reviews, particularly in the areas of valuations and market efficiency.  Our independent model reviews include:

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• Asset Pricing Models

• Risk Measurement Models (asset- or portfolio-level)

• Portfolio Risk-Return Models

• Economic Capital Calculations and other Optimization Models

• Credit Risk and Credit Rating Models

• Stress Testing

• Simulation Models and Waterfall Models

 

Our team’s diverse background allows us a different perspective, as we develop our viewpoints from a combination of buy-side, sell-side, risk, rating agency and legal perspectives. Our direct access to key market participants and to intelligence about market developments and the latest trading levels also gives us an invaluable edge.

In addition to our examination of quantitative market data, like credit risk metrics, our analyses regularly draw on the high priority we afford to understanding idiosyncrasies in each market.

For complex assets, we work consistently to understand:

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1. the types of trades moving the specific markets and their complex incentive structures;

2. the legal structures of the investments;

3. the upside potential for the asset class or strong asset management; and 

4. the risks associated with mismanagement or the potential for adverse selection of portfolio assets. ​​

In the context of private investments, it is critical to gauge questions of liquidity (or marketability) of the securities, and issues like controlling interests or voting rights.