Global Factor Performance: March 2023
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: March 2023
No exposure to domestic equities. Partial exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. No exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Does International Diversification Work?
In this article, the authors examine the research on the benefits of international diversification. Some argue that because equity markets generally crash simultaneously, there are no benefits to having equity diversification. The evidence from this paper rejects this hypothesis.
Global Factor Performance: February 2023
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: February 2023
Partial exposure to domestic equities. Partial exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Partial exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Global Factor Performance: January 2023
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: January 2023
No exposure to domestic equities. No exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Partial exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Global Factor Performance: December 2022
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: December 2022
No exposure to domestic equities. Partial exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Full exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Global Factor Performance: November 2022
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: November 2022
No exposure to domestic equities. No exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Full exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Global Factor Performance: October 2022
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: October 2022
No exposure to domestic equities. No exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Partial exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Global Factor Performance: September 2022
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
DIY Trend-Following Allocations: September 2022
Current Exposures:
- No exposure to domestic equities.
- No exposure to international equities.
- No exposure to REITs.
- Full exposure to commodities.
- No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.
Is Relative Sentiment an Anomaly?
Relative sentiment is an indicator that measures the positions, flows, and attitudes of institutional investors compared to those of individual investors–where institutions typically consist of large asset managers, insurance companies, pension funds, and endowments. In some instances, however–depending on the dataset and the asset class under consideration–institutions might also include hedge funds, CTAs, and other large speculators.
Treasury Bonds: Buy and Hold or Trend Follow?
If one had to invest in buy and hold treasury bonds or trend-followed treasury bonds, it is likely that most investors would prefer the trend-followed bond investment. However, in a broader portfolio context, the analysis suggests that how one 'eats' their bond exposure is largely irrelevant and the portfolio's long-term outcome will be driven by equity market dynamics. Bonds systematically lower an equity-centric portfolio's returns, but they also lower the risk profile of the overall portfolio.
Global Factor Performance: August 2022
Standardized Performance Factor Performance Factor Exposures Factor Premiums Factor Attribution Factor Data Downloads
Trend Following Says Commodities…But Nothing Else!
The analysis above highlights that we are in a rare regime when commodities are the only long asset with a positive trend. The last time this happened we entered a long period of high inflation and poor real returns. Will this happen again? Who knows. But we do know that post-1973 we entered a world where, for several decades (at least up to around 2007), both bonds and commodities were an important component of a diversified portfolio. The recent past has arguably made investors complacent in their reliance on a stock/bond portfolio as an end-all-be-all solution. When history tells us that incorporating commodities into a portfolio probably makes sense from a diversification standpoint.
DIY Asset Allocation Weights: August 2022
No exposure to domestic equities. No exposure to international equities. No exposure to REITs. Full exposure to commodities. No exposure to intermediate-term bonds.