Quant Mashup - Factor Research
Managed Futures: Fast & Furious vs Slow & Steady [Factor Research]
Managed futures strategies aim to exploit short- or long-term trends Short-term trend followers are often seen as offering better stock market crash protection characteristics Our analysis highlights that the differences are marginal INTRODUCTION Aesop’s famous story of the race between the
- 1 year ago, 17 May 2021, 09:46am -
Improving the Odds of Value Investing [Factor Research]
The stock market volatility, skewness, and yield curve influence the performance of the value factor Investors require a certain market environment to buy troubled companies The key performance driver of the value factor is risk sentiment INTRODUCTION Ted Theodore first wrote about value versus
- 1 year ago, 10 May 2021, 10:57am -
60/40 Portfolios Without Bonds [Factor Research]
Bonds have become less useful in asset allocation given low to negative expected returns Liquid alternative strategies can be used to replace bonds From a historic perspective, long volatility strategies would have been especially attractive INTRODUCTION John Maynard Keynes famously asked, “when
- 1 year ago, 3 May 2021, 10:56am -
Factor Investing: The Truth Has Many Shades [Factor Research]
The data from Professor French has laid the foundation for factor investing However, over time factor portfolio construction grew complex and with many nuances Returns may look more or less attractive, which makes a weak foundation INTRODUCTION When I was growing up one of my favourite TV shows was
- 1 year ago, 26 Apr 2021, 08:55pm -
Myth-Busting: Money Printing Must Create Inflation [Factor Research]
The link between central bank policy, money supply, and inflation seems to have changed QE money printing had no substantial impact on inflation, aside from asset price inflation More direct stimuli might change that INTRODUCTION London ranks ninth on the UBS Global Real Estate Bubble index for
- 1 year ago, 19 Apr 2021, 11:11am -
Time Machines for Investors [Factor Research]
Investors are challenged when evaluating investment opportunities with limited track records Factor exposure analysis can be used to create replication portfolios These empower investors to walk backward and forward in time, enhancing the investment decision process INTRODUCTION Investing is all
- 1 year ago, 12 Apr 2021, 09:28pm -
Myth-Busting: Low Rates Don't Justify High Valuations [Factor Research]
High equity valuations are frequently justified by low interest rates There is no long-term evidence in the US to support this theory P/E ratios in Japan and Europe have remained low, despite zero or negative yields INTRODUCTION One of the more peculiar transactions I worked on as an investment
- 1 year ago, 1 Feb 2021, 09:18pm -
Market Timing via the VRP? [Factor Research]
Stock market returns were highly positive when the variance risk premium (VRP) was negative Returns were slightly negative across markets when the VRP was positive This relationship can not be exploited for market timing INTRODUCTION The US stock market in 1999 and 2020 had probably more
- 1 year ago, 25 Jan 2021, 11:11am -
Oh, Quality, Where Art Thou? [Factor Research]
Quality and quality income ETFs have underperformed the S&P 500 since 2005 The most recent underperformance is explained by an underweight to technology stocks However, more importantly, quality ETFs have not reduced drawdowns during stock market crashes INTRODUCTION Investing is never easy, but
- 1 year ago, 18 Jan 2021, 07:45pm -
Musings about Factor Exposure Analysis [Factor Research]
There are few alternatives to regression analysis when explaining investment performance Too few as well as too many independent variables can be problematic The results are often not intuitive, but also encourage asking further questions that may prove insightful INTRODUCTION The older I become,
- 1 year ago, 11 Jan 2021, 10:40am -
Factor Olympics 2020 [Factor Research]
Momentum has been the clear winner across markets in 2020 Value has been the laggard like in recent years Low Volatility ended a 10-year fantastic run INTRODUCTION We present the performance of five well-known factors on an annual basis for the last 10 years. We only present factors where academic
- 1 year ago, 4 Jan 2021, 10:03am -
Research Compendium 2020 [Factor Research]
In 2020 we published more than 50 research notes on mostly factor investing and smart beta ETFs, but also on topics like ESG, tail risk hedge funds, long volatility strategies, and private equity. The Research Compendium 2020 contains all of our research published this year. We would like to thank
- 1 year ago, 28 Dec 2020, 10:33am -
The Value Factor’s Pain: Are Intangibles to Blame? [Factor Research]
The rise of intangibles has been increasingly used as an argument for the poor performance of the value factor However, this idea is not supported by data The type of market environment is marginally more useful for explaining the value factor performance INTRODUCTION Great storytelling may be the
- 1 year ago, 14 Dec 2020, 10:31am -
Hedge Fund Battle: Discretionary vs Systematic Investing [Factor Research]
Given alternative data, machine learning, and AI advances, systematic should beat discretionary investing However, the performance of systematic and discretionary equity market neutral hedge funds has largely been the same since 2009 Both were also correlated to the stock market, offered low
- 1 year ago, 24 Nov 2020, 09:38am -
Exploring Defined Outcome ETFs [Factor Research]
Defined outcome ETFs have quickly gathered almost $5 billion in assets Not unexpected given their much lower drawdowns when the market crashed in March 2020 However, they are complex and expensive products and there are viable alternatives INTRODUCTION If ETFs had an arch enemy, then it probably
- 1 year ago, 17 Nov 2020, 10:06am -
Market Neutral Funds: Powered by Beta? [Factor Research]
The long-term track record of equity market neutral hedge funds is attractive, but should be viewed with scepticism due to Madoff and survivorship bias Only one index from HFRX seems sound, but his highlights negative alpha since the GFC and positive returns primarily from market beta A factor
- 1 year ago, 9 Nov 2020, 08:09am -
The Dead versus The Living Stocks [Factor Research]
Zombie stocks are a diverse group, both from a country and sector perspective Zombie stocks were fundamentally riskier, yet outperformed non-zombie stocks over the last year Oddly, investors need to pay up as they are also more expensive INTRODUCTION Walking through financial centers like London or
- 1 year ago, 2 Nov 2020, 09:23pm -
Don't Get Carried Away by Carry [Factor Research]
Carry across asset classes has not performed strongly over the most recent decade Currency carry and Value & Size equity factors exhibited the same trends in performance since 1999 All three factors are likely driven by risk sentiment, essentially offering the same risk exposure INTRODUCTION
- 1 year ago, 20 Oct 2020, 10:55am -
Factor Exposure Analysis 101 [Factor Research]
Linear regression is widely used for factor exposure analysis However, a high R2 and low p-value can be misleading Unsurprisingly the data quality matters INTRODUCTION Some fields of science like math or statistics seem to be too dry to be joking about, but a quick Google search for jokes on
- 1 year ago, 14 Oct 2020, 09:09am -
Factor Olympics Q3 2020 [Factor Research]
Momentum & Quality are leading the performance scoreboard in Q1-3 2020 Value & Size generated negative returns, like in recent years, and Low Volatility ended a 10-year fantastic run 2020 is shaping up as a year of highly dispersed factor returns INTRODUCTION We present the performance of
- 1 year ago, 5 Oct 2020, 09:04pm -
Does Financial Leverage Make Stocks Riskier? [Factor Research]
The leverage of US stocks has been increasing over the last four decades The most leveraged stocks did not generate higher returns than the least leverages ones However, they were also not riskier INTRODUCTION The IMF issued a warning on corporate debt in their latest Global Stability Report and
- 1 year ago, 28 Sep 2020, 10:45am -
Aging & Equities: Selling Stocks for the Long-Term [Factor Research]
There is a negative relationship between aging populations and stock valuations Given that most developed markets are aging, this creates structural headwinds for equities The massive future population declines require investors to rethink traditional asset allocation INTRODUCTION “The curious
- 1 year ago, 21 Sep 2020, 12:31pm -
Volatility Hedge Funds: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly [Factor Research]
Volatility hedge funds provided attractive diversification benefits for equity portfolios However, long were preferable over short volatility strategies Some scepticism is required for the hedge fund index performance INTRODUCTION In finance 101, there is usually little doubt on what constitutes the
- 1 year ago, 7 Sep 2020, 11:15am -
Picking Profitable Businesses Can Be Highly Unprofitable [Factor Research]
There seems to be a relationship between the Profitability factor and interest rates The most profitable stocks outperformed the least profitable ones when market cap-weighted However, when equal-weighted, the least profitable stocks outperformed INTRODUCTION The gap between theory and reality in
- 1 year ago, 31 Aug 2020, 12:07pm -
How Risky Are Value Stocks? [Factor Research]
The Value factor is often explained as representing a risk premium or a behavioral bias However, financial analysts regard cheap stocks as less risky than expensive ones Data shows that expensive stocks were riskier than cheap ones, which challenges the risk premium theory INTRODUCTION Which of the
- 1 year ago, 24 Aug 2020, 10:23am -
Bank Risk Premia Indices: Unbankable? [Factor Research]
Factor investing can be pursued across asset classes Risk premia products sold by investment banks have generated mostly unattractive returns since 2006 The idea of risk premia indices is great, but the implementation has been poor INTRODUCTION Monoculture can be considered the biggest threat to our
- 1 year ago, 18 Aug 2020, 08:39pm -
Factor Investing in Singapore [Factor Research]
Singapore’s stock market has unique features given its strong sector biases However, despite these, there were no structural factor exposures over time Like in other markets, investors can pursue factor investing to generate outperformance INTRODUCTION One of the stories of how Singapore received
- 1 year ago, 7 Aug 2020, 10:41pm -
Creating Anti-Fragile Portfolios [Factor Research]
Most asset classes are bets on economic growth Diversified endowment-style portfolios are essentially short volatility Long volatility strategies can be used to create anti-fragile portfolios LONG OR SHORT VOLATILITY? In what by now seems like a galaxy far far away, I once worked as an equity
- 1 year ago, 4 Aug 2020, 06:35am -
Global Macro: Masters of the Universe? [Factor Research]
The alpha of global macro funds has been shrinking consistently over time However, correlations to equities & bonds were low on average, offering diversification benefits Capital allocators have been cautious on the strategy in recent years INTRODUCTION He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was
- 1 year ago, 27 Jul 2020, 12:41pm -
EM Equities vs Debt: Same, Same, but Different? [Factor Research]
Some EM asset classes are highly correlated, to the point they can almost be considered interchangeable EM equities and hard-currency government debt are highly correlated to US equities and bonds In crisis times, all EM exposure is sold off and fails to provide meaningful diversification benefits
- 1 year ago, 21 Jul 2020, 11:15pm -
Cap-Weighted Benchmarks: Good Momentum Bets? [Factor Research]
After strong momentum rallies, investors frequently ask if cap-weighted benchmarks are good Momentum bets Factor exposure analysis shows this is not the case Investors should seek smart beta and long-short products if they want Momentum exposure INTRODUCTION Old myths are hard to kill. Good old
- 1 year ago, 13 Jul 2020, 09:04pm -
Factor Olympics 1H 2020 [Factor Research]
Momentum & Quality are leading the performance scoreboard in 1H 2020 Value & Size generated negative returns, like in recent years Low Volatility failed to preserve capital during the COVID-19 crisis INTRODUCTION We present the performance of five well-known factors on an annual basis for
- 1 year ago, 6 Jul 2020, 09:33am -
The Variance Risk Premium: What Premium? [Factor Research]
Harvesting the variance risk premium has a sound theoretical foundation However, actual investment products have generated poor returns Furthermore, they are correlated to equities, providing few diversification benefits INTRODUCTION Investing is akin to fighting in a never-ending war. There are
- 2 years ago, 29 Jun 2020, 01:10pm -
No Longer Superheroes? Twilight of the Bonds [Factor Research]
Bonds had superhero qualities over the last few decades The case for bonds in asset allocation is not clear when yields are low or negative Japan can be used as a roadmap for the outlook of a 60/40 portfolio in the US or Europe FIXED INCOME KRYPTONITE “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful
- 2 years ago, 23 Jun 2020, 02:40pm -
Defensive & Diversifying Strategies: What Worked in 2020? [Factor Research]
Defensive smart beta strategies like Low Volatility did not offer much capital protection in 2020 Long-short multi-factor investing generated negative returns, but still offered diversification benefits Managed futures finally found their redemption given positive & uncorrelated returns
- 2 years ago, 16 Jun 2020, 12:52pm -
Musings on Low Volatility [Factor Research]
The Low Volatility strategy failed to protect investors in March and April 2020 Industrials & materials generated positive and technology & real estate negative relative performance Low Vol strategies do not deliver ESG benefits INTRODUCTION Low volatility (Low Vol) strategies have gained
- 2 years ago, 8 Jun 2020, 09:43am -
Bonds & The Invisible Thief [Factor Research]
US bonds generated positive total returns in most inflation regimes Returns were mixed when inflation was above 4% Real returns were strongly negative when inflation was high INTRODUCTION Inflation is like cancer. It largely happens out of plain sight and requires focus to be noticed. The data is
- 2 years ago, 1 Jun 2020, 09:53am -
Tactical ETFs: Tactfully No, Thank You? [Factor Research]
Tactical investing aims to deliver better risk-adjusted returns and/or reduced drawdowns Tactical ETFs have not achieved either objective in recent years It is challenging to explain the consistent underperformance across different types of tactical ETFs INTRODUCTION Every investor is a tactician,
- 2 years ago, 26 May 2020, 10:37am -
Cheap vs Expensive Factors [Factor Research]
This research note was originally published at Alpha Architect. Here is the link. SUMMARY Factors can be valued like stocks Factor valuations have not changed structurally over the last 30 years Cheap factors outperformed expensive ones on average INTRODUCTION Tesla (TSLA) breached the $100 billion
- 2 years ago, 18 May 2020, 11:08am -
The Case Against Factor Investing [Factor Research]
Factor investing is likely the best option for investors seeking to outperform the market However, the cyclicality of factors makes factor investing challenging when it underperforms Investors that do not understand this cyclicality are likely better served by plain, rather than smart beta FREE
- 2 years ago, 11 May 2020, 10:09am -
Merger Arbitrage: Arbitraged Away? [Factor Research]
As AUM in merger arbitrage has increased, alpha decreased Investors can access merger arbitrage via hedge funds, bank indices, and ETFs The strategy is not as uncorrelated from equities as likely perceived by allocators INTRODUCTION Working in the restructuring team of a corporate finance boutique
- 2 years ago, 4 May 2020, 09:26am -
Tail Risk Hedge Funds [Factor Research]
Tail risk funds tend to be most in demand when they are least attractive Short-term bonds provided similar benefits to tail risk funds The TAIL ETF closely replicates the performance of tail risk funds INTRODUCTION In a year where the S&P 500 lost more than 30% in a few weeks, there are few
- 2 years ago, 27 Apr 2020, 10:47am -
Smart Beta Fixed Income ETFs [Factor Research]
Factor investing in fixed income has been heralded as the next frontier in asset management Smart beta fixed income ETFs in the US manage only slightly more than $2 billion of assets Defensive strategies reduced drawdowns during the ongoing coronavirus crisis INTRODUCTION Investing is becoming more
- 2 years ago, 20 Apr 2020, 09:32am -
Low Vol-Momentum vs Value-Momentum Portfolios [Factor Research]
Low Vol-Momentum & Value-Momentum portfolios outperformed stock markets since 1989 Low factor correlations contributed to the attractive risk-return profiles Excess returns have been lower in the most recent than in previous decades INTRODUCTION If an investor would state today that in ten or
- 2 years ago, 13 Apr 2020, 11:30am -
Factor Olympics Q1 2020 [Factor Research]
We present the performance of five well-known factors on an annual basis for the last 10 years. We only present factors where academic research highlights positive excess returns across market cycles and asset classes. Other strategies like Growth might be widely-followed investment styles, but lack
- 2 years ago, 6 Apr 2020, 10:20pm -
Thou Shall Not Short the VIX [Factor Research]
The VIX has not remained at high levels for long in recent times, theoretically making a mean-reversion strategy attractive However, there were periods historically where volatility stayed elevated for years Furthermore, the VIX is not a tradeable index and related products should be viewed with
- 2 years ago, 30 Mar 2020, 09:18am -
Thematic Investing: Thematically Wrong? [Factor Research]
Thematic investing can be viewed as performance chasing with a narrative A systematic approach to thematic investing would have underperformed the stock market Thematic hedge fund managers have not generated attractive returns PERFORMANCE CHASING WITH A NARRATIVE? Thematic investing is like venture
- 2 years ago, 23 Mar 2020, 11:08am -
EM Debt: To Hold, or Not To Hold? [Factor Research]
Hard currency emerging market debt outperformed local currency EM debt since 2013 EM government and corporate debt traded comparably Adding EM debt to a traditional US equity-bond portfolio would have generated only marginal benefits INTRODUCTION Forecasting the short-term outlook for the S&P
- 2 years ago, 16 Mar 2020, 09:02pm -
ESG vs Low Carbon Investing [Factor Research]
ESG and Low Carbon portfolios feature significant, but different sector & country biases Investors should expect large tracking errors in some ETFs Some products contain stocks that are likely unexpected and undesired INTRODUCTION Investors seeking exposure to global equities with a low carbon
- 2 years ago, 2 Mar 2020, 09:46am -
Venture Capital: Worth Venturing Into? [Factor Research]
Venture capital returns are likely to be overstated Top-performing VC funds generated attractive returns, but are difficult to access Average venture capital returns can be replicated efficiently with public equities WINNERS & LOSERS The further the global financial crisis retreats into history,
- 2 years ago, 18 Feb 2020, 11:09am -