What are the cross-sectional and time-series characteristics of corporate bond returns? Do corporate bond risk premia vary over time and are these time-variations predictable? And if yes, is it a sign of market inefficiency? Recent empirical studies show a strong mean reversion at the monthly...

We provide examples of pitfalls for parametric portfolio policies as introduced by Brandt, Santa Clara and Valkanov (RFS 2009). For the leading case of constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) strong assumptions on the properties of the returns, the variables used to implement the parametric...

Asset managers usually define a policy portfolio to provide a long-term benchmark. According to the CAPM, the policy portfolio should be the value weighted market portfolio of all assets. However, the practical implementation of such a policy portfolio is not straightforward. First, it is...

We provide examples of pitfalls for parametric portfolio policies as introduced by Brandt, Santa Clara and Valkanov. For the leading case of constant relative risk aversion (CRRA) strong assumptions on the properties of the returns, the variables used to implement the parametric portfolio policy...

We compare the performance of the characteristics-based parametric portfolio approach introduced by Brandt, Santa Clara and Valkanov (RFS 2009) with standard optimal portfolio investments on the basis of S&P-500 stocks. We establish that the characteristics-based parametric portfolio approach...

We extend the d cifically we analyse constant absolute and constant relative risk aversion, provide conditionsfor the existence of equilibrium, and evaluate equilibrium prices at US-data. We find that constant absolute risk aversion works particularly well at moderate levels of risk aversion. In...

Should banks be diversified or focused? Does diversification indeed lead to enhanced performance and, therefore, greater safety for banks, as traditional portfolio and banking theory would suggest? This paper investigates the link between banks' profitability (ROA) and their portfolio...