This paper makes a simple but bold argument that because mean-variance optimization (MVO) and the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) were derived from a theoretical construct rather than reality, they represent a specialized case of a more general theory. We suggest a theory based on the...

Since the development of modern portfolio theory (MPT) in the late 1950s and early 1960s, academics have offered numerous competing theories. MPT's simplicity is appealing: The expected return on an asset is simply a function of the return of the market portfolio and the asset's beta to the...

The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) has been the backbone of asset market finance even though many academic studies have revealed its limitations, both theoretical and empirical. This paper argues that including liability or benchmark considerations in investment decisions may provide a...

CAPM came under a lot of scrutiny and attack as its simplicity also led to extensive testing which did not bear out the conclusions. This paper seeks to re-think CAPM in light of the broader trend in the institutional world to implement Liability Driven Investments (LDI) to see if this can help...