INTRAPORTFOLIO CORRELATION: AN APPLICATION FOR INVESTMENTS STUDENTS

Intraportfolio correlation (IPC), a measure of portfolio diversification, is becoming increasingly popular among investment practitioners. However, despite the assertions of these adherents, IPC is far from a free lunch. Instead, it is a simplistic and flawed measure that ignores material information about the relationships among portfolio assets. Deconstructing the IPC therefore can be a productive and educational exercise (and a cautionary tale) for students of portfolio theory. In this paper, we describe IPC and offer suggestions for incorporating it into an introductory investments course.