We investigate the new reality of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). We show that many ETFs are active investments in form (designed to generate alpha) or function (serve as building blocks of active portfolios). The median ETF has an Activeness Index of 93.1%. Active-in-form ETFs have positive...

The proposition that a prudent investor should be diversified is widely accepted if not incontrovertible for ordinary investors – investors who have no reasonable expectation of influencing company management or business policy. Indeed, fiduciary duty requires that trustees and other...

While much is known about the financialization of commodities, less is known about how to profitably invest in commodities. We develop a four-factor asset pricing model of commodity returns. Our four-factor model prices both commodity spot and term risk premia in an intuitive manner related to...

The article aims at pointing out the differences in market reactions regarding the announcement of an investment of selected Sovereign Wealth Funds in companies listed on the London Stock Exchange. The research sample consists of 796 market transactions made by four selected Sovereign Wealth...

Warren Buffett has consistently advised investors to follow a simple approach, diversifying broadly and minimizing costs. In fact, he recommended the trustee that will manage his wife's bequest to stick to a simple 90-10 stock-bond portfolio. Is this a sensible strategy for retirees in general?...

Using a comprehensive dataset of first, second and third generation commodity indices, we investigate the potential diversification benefits in equity-bond portfolios. The results show that first generation commodity indices are outperformed by enhanced indices. Second generation indices provide...

The aim of financial institutions and regulators is to find an effective way to measure the risk profile of different segments of investors. Both economists and psychologists developed several methodologies to elicit and assess individual risk attitude, but these are not perfect and show several...

Under the context of the US and EMU financial and debt crisis we investigate the portfolio asset diversification and assess risk for a core pool of advanced (US/Eurozone/UK/Japan) markets enriched by emerging financial markets represented by BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Specifically we...

Gold is the world’s oldest international currency and an important element of global monetary reserves. Gold ETF (GETF) is one of the smart way of buying the gold in paper form. The study is an attempt to explore the concept of GETF with primary and secondary information. As a part of the...