Index tracking aims at replicating a given benchmark with a smaller number of its constituents. Different quantitative models cam be set up to determine the optimal index replicating portfolio.In this paper, we propose an alternative based on imposing a constraint on the q-norm, 0 q 1, of the...

Index tracking is a valuable low-cost alternative to active portfolio management. The implementation of a quantitative approach, however, is a major challenge from an optimization perspective. The optimal selection of a group of assets that can replicate the index of a much larger portfolio...

Index tracking aims at determining an optimal portfolio that replicates the performance of an index or benchmark by investing in a smaller number of constituents or assets. The tracking portfolio should be cheap to maintain and update, i.e., invest in a smaller number of constituents than the...

We empirically study the determinants of intra-household decision power with respect to economic and financial choices using a suitable direct measure provided in the 1989-2010 Bank of Italy Survey of Household Income and Wealth. Focusing on a sample of couples, we evaluate the effect of each...

The internal rate of return (IRR) is often used by managers and practitioners for investment decisions. Unfortunately, it has serious flaws: (i) multiple real-valued IRRs may arise, (ii) complex-valued IRRs may arise, (iii) the IRR is, in general, incompatible with the net present value (NPV) in...

This paper implements the methodology proposed by Bell et al. (2013) for the English Premier League to test the performance of football club coaches in the Italian Serie A, so as to explore the robustness of this approach to a different setup. Our results show that, over the seasons 2011-12,...

We consider a new robust parametric estimation procedure, which minimizes an empirical version of the Havrda-Charvàt-Tsallis entropy. The resulting estimator adapts according to the discrepancy between the data and the assumed model by tuning a single constant q, which controls the trade-off...

Accounting measures are traditionally considered not significant from an economic point of view. In particular, accounting rates of return are often regarded economically meaningless or, at the very best, poor surrogates for the IRR, which is held to be “the” economic yield. Likewise,...

We consider a new robust parametric estimation procedure, which minimizes an empirical version of the Havrda-Charv_at-Tsallis entropy. The resulting estimator adapts according to the discrepancy between the data and the assumed model by tuning a single constant q, which controls the trade-o_...

We study the joint impact of gender and marital status on financial decisions. First, we test the hypothesis that marriage represents - in a portfolio framework - a sort of safe asset, and that this effect is stronger for women. Controlling for a number of observable characteristics, we show...