Quant Mashup - Allocate Smartly Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Five recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: 1. ETF Bond Rotation (Alvarez Quant Trading) Cesar looks at different flavors of a simple momentum-based bond rotation strategy. Using momentum to time bond asset classes has not worked nearly as well as it has(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in February [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies(...) Ilya Kipnis' Defensive Adaptive Asset Allocation [Allocate Smartly]This is a test of Ilya Kipnis’ “Defensive Adaptive Asset Allocation” (KDA). KDA is a “Meta” model of sorts, combining successful elements of multiple other tactical asset allocation strategies that we track. Results from 1989 to the present, net of transaction costs, follow. Read more(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Six recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: 1. Right Now It’s KDA…Asset Allocation (QuantStrat TradeR) Here Ilya shares a TAA strategy that combines elements of two popular strategies that we track: Keller & Keuning’s Defensive Asset Allocation(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in January [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent Tactical Asset Allocation (TAA) strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Six recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: 1. Fragility Case Study: Dual Momentum GEM (Newfound) + Response from Gary Antonacci Corey’s post kicked off quite a lively discussion. I encourage you to click through to both pieces, but here’s the(...) Livingston's Muscular Portfolios [Allocate Smartly]This is a test of two tactical asset allocation strategies from Brian Livingston’s new book Muscular Portfolios and his site MuscularPortfolios.com: the “Mama Bear” and “Papa Bear” Portfolios. The short and sweet take: neither of these strategies tread new ground – they’re both based(...) Reminder: Big Up Days Occur With More Frequency in Bear Markets [Allocate Smartly]We can’t say with certainty where the market goes from here – whether the market will turn around in January or continue into bear territory – and neither can anyone else. What we can say for certain however is that big up days like we saw today (SPY +3.35%) are not an indicator that this(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in December [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Six recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: 1. Trend Following on Steroids (Wouter Keller via Alpha Architect) Wouter Keller details his latest tactical model: “Defensive Asset Allocation”. We track a number of strategies from Dr. Keller and his(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in November [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: When Simplicity Met Fragility (Newfound Research) Yes, yes, yes. A must read. “Research suggests that simple heuristics are often far more robust than more complicated, theoretically optimal solutions. Taken too(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in October [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: Market Timing the Credit Cycle (EconomPic) Jake looks at forward returns based on the width and direction of the credit “quality spread” (high yield minus investment grade OAS). Below we’ve reproduce Jake’s(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in September [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) Accelerating Dual Momentum [Allocate Smartly]This is a test of the tactical asset allocation strategy “Accelerating Dual Momentum” (ADM) from EngineeredPortfolio.com. ADM is especially aggressive strategy that ties together multiple concepts from other TAA models that we track. Results from 1990 to the present, net of transaction costs,(...) FX Risk, International ETFs and Asset Allocation [Allocate Smartly]In our previous post, we touched on FX rates and their impact on international ETFs like EFA or EEM. In short, because international ETFs trading in the US are denominated in USD, most are affected not just by changes in underlying assets, but also by changes in the exchange rate between USD and(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: We Are All FX Traders Now (Alpha Scientist) Because international ETFs trading in the US (ex. EFA or EEM) are denominated in USD, most are affected not just by changes in the underlying assets, but also by changes(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in August [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) How Members Are Using Our Site and What That Says About TAA Investors [Allocate Smartly]We’re in unique position to analyze the behavior of Tactical Asset Allocation investors. Our platform helps members analyze 40+ published TAA strategies from many angles, including: historical performance, tax efficiency, exposure to rising interest rates, etc. Members can combine those strategies(...) Two New Strategies Added: Defensive Asset Allocation and Accelerating Dual Momentum [Allocate Smartly]We’ve begun tracking two new tactical asset allocation strategies: Defensive Asset Allocation (DAA) and Accelerating Dual Momentum (ADM). We’ll be introducing both in more detail on our blog in the coming weeks. Members can review their historical performance and begin tracking them in near(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in July [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies, net of transaction costs. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are(...) New Strategy Added: Vigilant Asset Allocation – Balanced [Allocate Smartly]Vigilant Asset Allocation from Dr. Keller and JW Keuning is one of the most popular tactical asset allocation strategies that we track (click for the full list). The authors’ original paper includes multiple variations of the strategy, based on the number of assets held at any given time and how(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in June [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in May [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in April [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Keller Ratio: Finding the Best Strategy for an Investor's Unique Risk Tolerance [Allocate Smartly]We wanted to take a moment to highlight a post from the always smart JW Keuning describing a novel approach for measuring how well a strategy has performed relative to drawdowns (losses): Presenting the Keller Ratio. Our preferred method for assessing a strategy’s return relative to drawdown has(...) On The Diversification Dangers of DIY Tactical Asset Allocation [Allocate Smartly]We wanted to take a moment to highlight two must read posts from Newfound Research. Newfound is a thought leader in the TAA space and we highly recommend following them now. The Diversification Dangers of DIY Tactical – and – Diversifying the What, How, and When of Trend Following Newfound(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in March [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Tax Efficient Tactical Asset Allocation [Allocate Smartly]New to Tactical Asset Allocation? Learn more: What is TAA? In our previous post, we looked at the tax impact of TAA for investors trading in taxable accounts. Using our database of more than 40 published TAA models we concluded that, while TAA as a whole has been relatively tax efficient, the(...) Tactical Asset Allocation and Taxes [Allocate Smartly]Tactical asset allocation, by its nature, generates more transactions than buy & hold. Investors trading in taxable accounts would be justifiably concerned that the negative tax consequences of that might outweigh the benefits of TAA by shifting returns to less advantageous short-term capital(...) Testing the Efficiente Index [Allocate Smartly]This test is based on the Efficiente Index from JP Morgan. A variation of this strategy is available via the ETF EFFE. The strategy uses traditional mean-variance optimization (aka the “Efficient Frontier”) to trade a broad basket of asset classes, but it’s actually a momentum strategy in(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in February [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Asset Allocation Roundup [Allocate Smartly]Recent asset allocation articles (tactical or otherwise) that you might have missed: 40 Shades of Tactical Asset Allocation Across Bull And Bear Markets (Earl Adamy) Earl walks readers though his own approach to finding the best TAA strategies using the data available in our members area. We try not(...) What to Expect from TAA When Markets Fall [Allocate Smartly]Markets have started the month weak. We got spoiled last year. After such an abnormally long period of market calm, it’s natural for investors to feel a little anxious. We have no opinion on where the markets go from here. That’s why we’re quantitative traders. We put a lot of time into(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in January [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Why You Need Independent Verification of Strategy Results [Allocate Smartly]Our site serves a lot of purposes for tactical asset allocation (TAA) investors: curating the best published strategies, testing those strategies with superior historical data, providing the ability to combine strategies into custom portfolios, and tracking even the most complex strategies in near(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in December [Allocate Smartly]Blogging was light in December. We spent the month working on the launch of a new fintech project that many of our readers will be excited about. We’ll be sharing details in the coming month and getting back to our regular blogging and site development schedule. — Allocate Smartly This is a(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in November [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) More About Meta: The Best Asset Allocation Strategies Over Time [Allocate Smartly]Last month we launched Meta Strategy, our own smart approach to combining the 40+ tactical asset allocation strategies tracked on our site. Each month, Meta selects 10 strategies and then trades their combined asset allocation. Members can follow Meta in near-real time. Each month’s 10 strategies(...) Sector Rotation with Fama-French Alphas [Allocate Smartly]Allocate Smartly tests and tracks asset allocation strategies sourced from books, academic papers and other publications. Most of the strategies that we test though never make it on to this site. There are a variety of reasons that might be, but often it’s simply because they’re not very good.(...) Timing TAA Strategies Based on Relative Strength: A Suboptimal Approach [Allocate Smartly]We track a wide range of tactical asset allocation strategies in near real-time (41 and counting), which members can combine into their own custom portfolios. We provide members with a wealth of data to understand how each strategy fits into a coherent trading plan, but we don’t tell members the(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in October [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Meta Strategy: A Smart Approach to Combining TAA Strategies [Allocate Smartly]We’re very excited for the launch of an awesome new feature for our members: Meta Strategy. We track a wide range of published tactical asset allocation strategies in near real-time (40 and counting), which members can then combine into their own custom portfolios. Our platform helps members(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in September (Now Adjusted for Timing Luck) [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Trinity Portfolio (Lite) from @MebFaber [Allocate Smartly]This is a test of the Trinity Portfolio from Meb Faber and Cambria Investments, so named for the three key elements of the strategy: (1) a globally diversified mix of assets, (2) a tilt towards the value and momentum factors, and (3) exposure to momentum and trend-following. We’ve titled our test(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in August [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Timing Luck and Portfolio Tranching [Allocate Smartly]In this post we discuss portfolio “tranching” (i.e. dividing a portfolio into overlapping slices of the same underlying strategy) to minimize “timing luck”. This is an under discussed but important topic in tactical asset allocation. For more smart thoughts on portfolio tranching, see this(...) Tactical Asset Allocation in July [Allocate Smartly]This is a summary of the recent performance of a wide range of excellent tactical asset allocation strategies. These strategies are sourced from books, academic papers, and other publications. While we don’t (yet) include every published TAA model, these strategies are broadly representative of(...) Vigilant Asset Allocation from Dr. Wouter Keller and JW Keuning [Allocate Smartly]This is a test of the “Vigilant Asset Allocation” (VAA) strategy from the recently published paper: Breadth Momentum and Vigilant Asset Allocation, by Dr. Wouter Keller and JW Keuning. This is an aggressive momentum trading model, similar in spirit to Keller and Keuning’s popular Protective(...)