Optimal factor index design?
EDHEC-Risk Institute suggests that investors should be wary when implementing factor tilts to ensure diversification still reigns.
Be clear on factor strategies’ benefits
Smart beta, factor indices and other products promise a middle ground between traditional passive and active. But they vary greatly, and investors need to take a hard look before adopting them.
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Beyond backtests: considering the robustness of smart beta
Systematic equity investment strategies – so-called smart beta strategies – are usually marketed on the basis of outperformance. However, it is important to recognise that performance analysis is typically conducted on backtests that apply the smart beta methodology to historical stock returns. Concerning actual investment decisions, a relevant question, therefore, is how robust the outperformance
Why investors employ smart beta strategies
The common view is smart beta is used to side step expensive active equity managers or hedge fund managers whose processes are on the surface opaque, but on close investigation turn out to be largely beta like in approach. As investors have gained experience and familiarity they have also learnt about how it offers greater
Why Andrew Ang joined Blackrock
Andrew Ang believes factor investing is a more efficient way to organise a portfolio as it allows liquid and illiquid strategies to be managed across the portfolio. It also has the added benefit of honing managers on value creation. He’s been working with a handful of investors while Professor of Finance at Columbia University on
Hedge funds: sheep in wolves’ clothing
Hedge funds are sheep in wolves’ clothing, they are claiming their returns to be alpha, but a large part of it is driven by beta, Narayan Naik, professor of finance, London Business School told delegates at an investment think-tank in London last week. The good news, Naik says, is a new era has dawned in
How to use smart beta
While smart beta is a much-talked about concept, implementation is slow. Part of the reluctance of investors is the risk of sustained underperformance, but that can be overcome by matching portfolio liquidity requirements with factor cycle duration. Amanda White speaks to Michael Hunstad, head of quantitative equity research, global equity management, at Northern Trust. Sustained
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