During the past few decades, significant theoretical advances in portfolio theory and asset pricing have substantially increased our understanding of how to construct optimal portfolios. These theoretical developments have challenged professional portfolio management to develop appropriate tools...

It is well established that international portfolios are far substantially under-diversified, contrary to predictions of traditional finance theory. Even after controlling for market segmentation and “investability” of foreign markets, portfolio under-diversification remains a puzzle. I...

VaR_Delta-Normal fails in two counts: subadditivity and potentially producing losses larger than its portfolio value. This paper solves the second inconsistency developing formulas derived from a put option, named PVaR_Delta-Normal and Put_Expected_Shortfall, PSF_Delta-Normal; the latter also...

We introduce the notion of a patience premium, which is based on the concept of ambiguity aversion and is an ambiguity premium. We identify three reasons for the existence of the patience premium: Certainty preferences: perceived confidence in the expected performance; Comparison with peers:...

VaR_Delta-Normal is derived from a Put option, named PVaR_Delta-Normal and Expected_Shortfall, PSF_Delta-Normal – the latter a coherent measure – guaranteeing VaR can never be larger than the fund value. Current standard VaR_Delta-Normal uses covariances calculated from the entire...

In a lively roundtable debate, members of the Brandes Institute Advisory Board (BIAB) and guest speaker Brad Case discussed the pros and cons of private equity and whether the investment class is a viable alternative.While some Board members shared their successes, Case cited challenges in the...

InvestorLit is a subscription service providing reviews of institutional investment literature. The reviews cover a wide range of investment topics and are published on their website. Bruce Grantier, Founder of InvestorLit, is a member of the Brandes Institute Advisory Board. Members of the...

This paper investigates the microeconomic determinants of leverage decisions by asset managers. Investment funds (the "buy side") have significantly increased their share of global capital flows in recent years. Unconventional monetary policies in advanced economies have squeezed returns while...

This research studies mutual fund performance in three selected Asian countries — China, Singapore and Thailand — for twelve years during 2000 to 2011 to determine whether any equity mutual funds significantly outperformed, or beat the market. The study begins with direct and simple...

Lending to emerging market economies (EMEs) through bond purchases has surged since 2009. What are the risks of a sudden stop? Bond mutual funds may curtail credit through two channels. The first is redemptions by ultimate investors. The second is additional discretionary sales by fund managers,...