What is alpha skills?

"Alpha skills" refers to the capacity, knowledge, expertise, and skill of asset managers or fund managers to consistently outperform an investment index. This means that they are able to achieve above-average returns, also known as 'excess returns' or 'outperformance'. These skills are crucial for active portfolio management, where the goal is to achieve a higher return through investment strategies and analyses than one would obtain by simply following a benchmark or index. The measurement of this performance is often done using the alpha metric.