The idea of comparing the performance of different risky investments, for example investment funds, on a quantitative basis dates back to the beginnings of the asset management industry and has been an important field of research in finance since then. Performance measures serve as valuable quantitative evidence for the portfolio manager's performance as well as for the evaluation of investment decisions ex post. Based on the idea of the capital asset pricing model proposed by Treynor, Sharpe and Lintner, Treynor developed the first quantitative performance measure intended to rate mutual funds, the Treynor Ratio. Since then, a large number of performance measures with very different characteristics have been developed. In addition to their power of rating investments ex post, their ability to predict future performance has been thoroughly analyzed by Grinblatt & Titman, Brown & Goetzmann, Carhart and others. Besides academia, the driving force behind the development of more sophisticated performance measures has always been the investors. This is understandable, as "the truly poor managers are afraid, the unlucky managers will be unjustly condemned, and the new managers have no track record. Only the skilled (or lucky) managers are enthusiastic." By combining and applying the results of previous research to a new sample of nearly 10,000 mutual funds that invest in different countries and asset classes, this thesis clarifies its central research question: Is the Information Ratio a useful and reliable performance measure? In order to answer this central question, it has been split up into the following sub-parts: What are the characteristics of a useful and reliable performance measure? What actually is "good" performance? Is the "good" performance a result of luck or of skilled decisions and does it persist over time? How does the Information Ratio compare to other performance measures, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? This empirical study aims at answeri

An intuitive and effective desk reference for performance measurement in asset and wealth management In The Complete Guide to Portfolio Performance: Appraise, Analyse, Act, a team of finance professors with extended practical experience deliver a hands-on desk reference for asset and wealth managers suitable for everyday use. Intuitively organized and full of concrete examples of the real-world implementation of the concepts discussed within, the book provides a comprehensive coverage of all important portfolio performance matters across 18 chapters of actionable and clearly described content. The authors have provided relevant cross-referencing where appropriate, “Key Takeaways and Equations” sections at the end of each chapter, and pointers to additional resources for anyone interested in pursuing further research. You'll also find: Discussions of more than a hundred classical and modern performance measures organized logically and with a focus on their applications Strategies for selecting appropriate performance measures based on your situation as a manager or investor Explanations of analytical techniques (statistical approaches, attribution, fund ratings...) enabling a comprehensive use of performance-related information Applications of portfolio performance criteria in concrete investment decision-making processes Highly actionable and logically organized material that's easy to find at a moment's notice A full set of pedagogical powerpoint slides and excel worksheets with all data and formulas Perfect for investors, portfolio managers, advisors, analysts, and regulators, The Complete Guide to Portfolio Performance is also a must-read reference for students and practitioners of asset and wealth management, as well as those pursuing certification such as CFA, CIPM, CIIA, and CAIA.

This paper provides a review of the methods for measuring portfolio performance and the evidence on the performance of professionally managed investment portfolios. Traditional performance measures, strongly influenced by the Capital Asset Pricing Model of Sharpe (1964), were developed prior to 1990. We discuss some of the properties and important problems associated with these measures. We then review the more recent Conditional Performance Evaluation techniques, designed to allow for expected returns and risks that may vary over time, and thus addressing one major shortcoming of the traditional measures. We also discuss weight-based performance measures and the stochastic discount factor approach. We review the evidence that these newer measures have produced on selectivity and market timing ability for professional managed investment funds. The evidence includes equity style mutual funds, pension funds, asset allocation style funds, fixed income funds and hedge funds.

Here is a chapter from Portfolio Performance Measurement and Benchmarking, which will help you create a system you can use to accurately measure your performance. The authors highlight common mechanical problems involved in building benchmarks and clearly illustrate the resulting fallouts. The failure to choose the right investing performance benchmarks often leads to bad decisions or inaction and, inevitably, lost profits. In this book you will discover a foundation for benchmark construction and discuss methods for all different asset classes and investment styles.

"This new edition of Active Portfolio Management continues the standard of excellence established in the first edition, with new and clear insights to help investment professionals." -William E. Jacques, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Martingale Asset Management. "Active Portfolio Management offers investors an opportunity to better understand the balance between manager skill and portfolio risk. Both fundamental and quantitative investment managers will benefit from studying this updated edition by Grinold and Kahn." -Scott Stewart, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Select Equity ® Discipline Co-Manager, Fidelity Freedom ® Funds. "This Second edition will not remain on the shelf, but will be continually referenced by both novice and expert. There is a substantial expansion in both depth and breadth on the original. It clearly and concisely explains all aspects of the foundations and the latest thinking in active portfolio management." -Eric N. Remole, Managing Director, Head of Global Structured Equity, Credit Suisse Asset Management. Mathematically rigorous and meticulously organized, Active Portfolio Management broke new ground when it first became available to investment managers in 1994. By outlining an innovative process to uncover raw signals of asset returns, develop them into refined forecasts, then use those forecasts to construct portfolios of exceptional return and minimal risk, i.e., portfolios that consistently beat the market, this hallmark book helped thousands of investment managers. Active Portfolio Management, Second Edition, now sets the bar even higher. Like its predecessor, this volume details how to apply economics, econometrics, and operations research to solving practical investment problems, and uncovering superior profit opportunities. It outlines an active management framework that begins with a benchmark portfolio, then defines exceptional returns as they relate to that benchmark. Beyond the comprehensive treatment of the active management process covered previously, this new edition expands to cover asset allocation, long/short investing, information horizons, and other topics relevant today. It revisits a number of discussions from the first edition, shedding new light on some of today's most pressing issues, including risk, dispersion, market impact, and performance analysis, while providing empirical evidence where appropriate. The result is an updated, comprehensive set of strategic concepts and rules of thumb for guiding the process of-and increasing the profits from-active investment management.

Here is a chapter from Portfolio Performance Measurement and Benchmarking, which will help you create a system you can use to accurately measure your performance. The authors highlight common mechanical problems involved in building benchmarks and clearly illustrate the resulting fallouts. The failure to choose the right investing performance benchmarks often leads to bad decisions or inaction and, inevitably, lost profits. In this book you will discover a foundation for benchmark construction and discuss methods for all different asset classes and investment styles.

Explore different measures of ex-post risk-adjusted performance measurement and learn to choose the correct one In the newly revised Second Edition of Practical Risk-Adjusted Performance Measurement, accomplished risk and investment expert Carl R. Bacon delivers an insightful, accessible, and real-world guide to ex-post risk measurement. The author bridges the gap between theory and practice, showing you how to apply the former to the latter without introducing unnecessary mathematical complexity. The book describes the fundamentals of risk in the asset management context and the descriptive statistics used to describe it. It builds on that foundation with detailed examinations of concepts like regression, drawdown, and partial moments, before moving on to topics like fixed income risk and Prospect Theory. With helpful additions that include recently developed measures of risk, supplementary explanatory sections, and six brand-new chapters, this book also offers: A practical classification of all ex-post risk measures and how they connect to one another An explanation of how risk-adjusted performance measures impact performance fees A discussion of risk measure dashboard designs Instructions on how appraisal measures should be used for manager selection Perfect for portfolio managers, asset owners, risk controllers, and investment performance analysts, Practical Risk-Adjusted Performance Measurement is an indispensable resource for anyone looking for a hands-on exploration of the buy-side, asset management perspective.

Written by a widely respected author team, this investments text takes an empirical approach to explaining current, real-world practice. Providing the most comprehensive coverage available, the text emphasizes investment alternatives and teaches students how to analyze these choices and manage their portfolios.

This book covers each step in the asset allocation process, addressing as many of the relevant questions as possible along the way. How can we formulate expectations about long-term returns? How relevant are valuations? What are the challenges to optimizing the portfolio? Can factor investing add value and, if so, how can it be implemented? Which are the key performance drivers for each asset class, and what determines how they are correlated? How can we apply insights about the business cycle to tactical asset allocation? The book is aimed at finance professionals and others looking for a coherent framework for decision-making in asset allocation, both at the strategic and tactical level. It stresses analysis rather than pre-conceived ideas about investments, and it draws on both empirical research and practical experience to give the reader as strong a background as possible.

"This new edition of Active Portfolio Management continues the standard of excellence established in the first edition, with new and clear insights to help investment professionals." -William E. Jacques, Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Martingale Asset Management. "Active Portfolio Management offers investors an opportunity to better understand the balance between manager skill and portfolio risk. Both fundamental and quantitative investment managers will benefit from studying this updated edition by Grinold and Kahn." -Scott Stewart, Portfolio Manager, Fidelity Select Equity ® Discipline Co-Manager, Fidelity Freedom ® Funds. "This Second edition will not remain on the shelf, but will be continually referenced by both novice and expert. There is a substantial expansion in both depth and breadth on the original. It clearly and concisely explains all aspects of the foundations and the latest thinking in active portfolio management." -Eric N. Remole, Managing Director, Head of Global Structured Equity, Credit Suisse Asset Management. Mathematically rigorous and meticulously organized, Active Portfolio Management broke new ground when it first became available to investment managers in 1994. By outlining an innovative process to uncover raw signals of asset returns, develop them into refined forecasts, then use those forecasts to construct portfolios of exceptional return and minimal risk, i.e., portfolios that consistently beat the market, this hallmark book helped thousands of investment managers. Active Portfolio Management, Second Edition, now sets the bar even higher. Like its predecessor, this volume details how to apply economics, econometrics, and operations research to solving practical investment problems, and uncovering superior profit opportunities. It outlines an active management framework that begins with a benchmark portfolio, then defines exceptional returns as they relate to that benchmark. Beyond the comprehensive treatment of the active management process covered previously, this new edition expands to cover asset allocation, long/short investing, information horizons, and other topics relevant today. It revisits a number of discussions from the first edition, shedding new light on some of today's most pressing issues, including risk, dispersion, market impact, and performance analysis, while providing empirical evidence where appropriate. The result is an updated, comprehensive set of strategic concepts and rules of thumb for guiding the process of-and increasing the profits from-active investment management.