The benchmark CAPM linearly relates the expected returns on an arbitrary asset, an arbitrary benchmark portfolio, and an arbitrary MV frontier portfolio. The benchmark is not required to be on the frontier and may be non-perfectly correlated with the frontier portfolio. The benchmark CAPM...

A Markov chain with an expanding non-uniform grid matching risk neutral marginal distributions is constructed. Conditional distributions of the chain are in the variance gamma class with prespecified skewness and excess kurtosis. Time change and space scale volatilities are calibrated from...

I compare the timing of information acquisition among institutional investors and sell-side analysts, and I show that hedge fund trades predict the direction of subsequent analyst ratings change reports while other investors' trades do not. In addition, hedge funds reverse trades after analyst...

This paper surveys the literature on sovereign debt from the perspective of understanding how sovereign debt differs from privately issue debt, and why sovereign debt is deemed safe in some countries but risky in others. The answers relate to the unique power of the sovereign. One the one hand,...

In recent years many US corporate pension plans have closed and entered their “end-state.” As end-state plans have become more prevalent, their special portfolio management challenges, including asset allocation, have gained attention.Pure immunization with public fixed income assets...

In June 2020, Robert Fernholz spoke with members of the Journal of Investment Consulting’s editorial advisory board about stochastic portfolio theory, its contributions to the investment industry’s knowledge of equity markets, and its applicability to creating and monitoring investment...

Investors can construct commodity benchmarks better aligned with their investment objectives. This is important because common “plain-vanilla” benchmarks, constructed to mimic relative production activity, may be inconsistent with a CIO’s objectives.CIOs can use the Real Asset Sensitivity...

This paper is a concise review of the equity markets' reaction to the COVIDcrisis in 2020. Relative to other global institutions, equity markets performed remarkably well in 2020 and investors ought not to be ashamed of their reactions relative to consumers. It would be a terrible abuse of...

Ferguson and Leistikow [(1997). Journal of Financial Engineering 6, 1–30] (FLa) was the first long-run risk-neutral analysis of the performance volatility incentives created by investment management fee structures. This paper extends FLa in six ways. It allows the portfolio's value to change,...

The insurance business is fraught with problems for which, in many insurance lines, a solution that is acceptable to consumers and leaves the insurance business viable is not likely. We analyze the factors that create this situation. Consumers often view economically viable premiums as too high....