Dynamic portfolio optimization using technical analysis‐based clustering

Abstract

An accurate prediction of asset prices is perhaps the biggest challenge of any study in portfolio optimization. Asset prices are affected by several random and nonrandom factors, which makes them difficult to forecast. This paper proposes a two-phase dynamic portfolio optimization approach. In the first phase, assets are clustered into buy, sell, and hold groups using technical indicators. We provide a methodology to integrate the investor attitude (optimistic, pessimistic, or neutral) during the clustering phase. In the second phase, we input the clustered groups into a portfolio optimization model to obtain the optimum asset allocations. We use coherent fuzzy numbers to model the asset returns to integrate the investor attitude in this phase. The optimization model is solved using a genetic algorithm. The portfolios are rebalanced at regular intervals as new data becomes available. We illustrate the proposed methodology on a 100-asset problem of the US stock market. We analyze the real-world performance of the obtained portfolios. We compare the performance of the proposed approach with the mean–variance model, and other portfolios, such as the naïve portfolio and the NASDAQ-100 index.