Asset Allocation Decisions Of Investors Research Articles

Equilibrium policy portfolios when some investors are restricted from holding certain assets

PurposeThe authors analyze the equilibrium effects of non-tradable assets on optimal policy portfolios. They study how the existence of non-tradable assets impacts optimal asset allocation decisions of investors who own such assets and of investors who do not have access to non-tradable assets.Design/methodology/approachIn this theoretical analysis, the authors analyze a model with tradable and non-tradable asset classes whose cash flows are jointly normally distributed. There are two types of investors, with and without access to non-tradable assets. All investors have constant absolute risk aversion preferences. The authors derive closed form solutions for optimal investor demand and equilibrium asset prices. They calibrated the model using US data for listed equity, bonds and private equity. Further, the authors illustrate the sensitivities of quantities and prices with respect to the main parameters.FindingsThe study finds that the existence of non-tradable assets has a large impact on optimal asset allocation. Investors with (without) access to non-tradable assets tilt their portfolios of tradable assets away from (toward) assets to which non-tradable assets exhibit positive betas.Practical implicationsThe model provides important insights not only for investors holding non-tradable assets such as private equity but also for investors who do not have access to non-tradable assets. Investors who ignore the effect of non-tradable assets when reverse-engineering risk premia from asset covariances and market capitalizations might severely underestimate the equity risk premium.Originality/valueThe authors provide the first comprehensive analysis of the equilibrium effects of non-tradability of some assets on optimal policy portfolios. Thus, this paper goes beyond analyzing the effects of market imperfections on individual portfolio choices.

How the Contagion is Transmitted to the Macedonian Stock Market? an Analysis of Co-Exceedances

Abstract The aim of the paper is to analyze the transmission of shocks from selected developed and Southeastern European stock markets to the stock market of North Macedonia. Using the Bae, Karolyi, and Stulz (2003) co-exceedance methodology, we find that the probability of contagion from the stock markets of United States, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Macedonian stock market increased during the Global Financial Crisis. Regarding the asset classes, we show that contagion is positively associated with the volatility of Eurostoxx50 index, while negatively with the return of the euro dollar exchange rate and the yield of the 10-year US Treasury Note. The results have important implications for portfolio diversification and the asset allocation decisions of investors.

Managing liquidity with portfolio staleness

Liquidity is a risk factor of primary relevance that can significantly affect the asset allocation decisions of investors. In this paper, we introduce the concept of portfolio staleness and propose a simple framework to manage portfolio liquidity, intended as the cost needed to liquidate the portfolio. Within this framework, the traditional minimum variance problem is solved under the additional constraint that portfolio staleness must be smaller than a given threshold. We show that a dynamic asset allocation strategy based on the staleness constrained portfolio can significantly enhance portfolio liquidity over the standard minimum variance solution. Meanwhile, the increase in portfolio risk is limited, generating large liquidity gains per unit of risk.

Managing Liquidity with Portfolio Flatness

Liquidity is a risk factor of primary relevance that can significantly affect the asset allocation decisions of investors. In this paper, we introduce the concept of portfolio staleness and propose a simple framework to manage portfolio liquidity, intended as the cost needed to liquidate the portfolio. Within this framework, the traditional minimum variance problem is solved under the additional constraint that portfolio staleness must be smaller than a given threshold. We show that a dynamic asset allocation strategy based on the staleness constrained portfolio can significantly enhance portfolio liquidity over the standard minimum variance solution. Meanwhile, the increase in portfolio risk is limited, generating large liquidity gains per unit of risk.

Theoretical Foundations I

One of the puzzles about the equity risk premium is that in the U.S. market, the premium has historically been much greater than standard finance theory would predict. The cause may lie in the mismatch between the actual asset allocation decisions of investors and their forecasts for the equity risk premium. In this review of the theoretical explanations for this puzzle, two questions are paramount: (1) How well does the explanatory theory explain the data? (2) Are the behavioral assumptions consistent with experimental and other evidence about actual behavior? The answers to both questions support the theory of myopic loss aversion—in which investors are excessively concerned about short-term losses and exhibit willingness to bear risk based on their most recent market experiences.