Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the changing risk structure of German open-end funds using semi variance based performance measures. Design/methodology: The analysis focuses on an appropriate benchmark and compares classical performance measures with LPM based measures....

This paper aims to show that the accuracy of real estate portfolio valuations and of real estate risk management can be improved through the simultaneous use of Monte Carlo simulations and options theory. Our method considers the options embedded in Continental European lease contracts drawn up...

Recent research [e.g., DeMiguel, Garlappi and Uppal, (2009), Rev. Fin. Studies] has cast doubts on the out-of-sample performance of optimizing portfolio strategies relative to naive, equally weighted ones. However, existing results concern the simple case in which an investor has a one-month...

This paper examines whether unleveraged REITs in Dubai help optimize the risk/return characteristics of a mixed asset portfolio. The performance is also analyzed using Shariah compliant REIT structures incorporating discussion of the performance of REITs operating in a zero-tax environment...

Out-of-sample experiments cast doubt on the ability of portfolio optimizing strategies to outperform equally weighted portfolios, when investors have a 1-month time horizon. This paper examines whether this finding holds for longer investment horizons over which the optimizing strategy exploits...

Welfare gains to long-horizon investors may derive from time diversification that exploits non-zero intertemporal return correlations associated with predictable returns. Real estate may thus become more desirable if its returns are negatively serially correlated. While it could be important for...

Bank capital requirements are based on a mix of market values and book values. We investigate the effects of a policy change that ties regulatory capital to the market value of the "available-for-sale" investment securities portfolio for some banking organizations. Our analysis is based on...