Investment Strategies

There is an “unconventional” index that economists and investors use to predict economic downturns. It’s called the Skyscraper Index. Invented by Andrew Lawrence, a property analyst at Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, the index was based on a relatively simple idea – that the completion of the world’s tallest building is inevitably a marker for the start

Shareholder return is the holy metric by which all equities are compared, but what factors actually influence the returns shareholders get from their equity holdings? In October 2023, Morgan Stanley’s Michael J. Mauboussin and Dan Callahan put out a paper that offers a framework of the key components that drive shareholder returns.  To clearly show

Even though gold is generally a volatile asset, it is often considered a key diversifier, hedging against inflation or protecting during economic uncertainties. Pim van Vliet and Harald Lohre conducted research on this phenomenon – and found that in times of extreme macroeconomic events, including war, hyperinflation, or major economic recessions, gold investing is widely regarded

Asset class correlations refer to the degree to which the returns of different asset classes move in relation to each other. A high positive correlation indicates that two asset classes tend to move in the same direction, while a high negative correlation implies that they move in opposite directions. Understanding these correlations can help investors make informed

What is Sell in May and Go Away? An investment strategy based on the theory that the stock market underperforms in the six-month period between May and October – Sell in May and Go Away refers to a well-known adage in the business and financial world. Stock markets have previously underperformed in the six-month period

You’ve probably heard investing professionals talk about risk-adjusted returns. This is a way of measuring the performance of an investment that factors in risk—specifically, the extra risk required to get higher returns. The Sharpe ratio is a way to measure the risk-adjusted returns of your investments. What Is the Sharpe Ratio? Investments can be evaluated

The Sharpe ratio is a well-known and well-reputed measure of risk-adjusted return on an investment or portfolio. It was developed by the economist William Sharpe. The Sharpe ratio can be used to evaluate the total performance of an aggregate investment portfolio or the performance of an individual stock. The Sharpe ratio indicates how well an equity investment

The January Effect is an investing theory that suggests that the performance of the stock market in the month of January can be used to predict the performance of the stock market for the rest of the year. According to the theory – first posited by Yale Hirsch in 1972 – if the stock market

What is Backtesting? Backtesting involves applying a strategy or predictive model to historical data to determine its accuracy. It can be used to test and compare the viability of trading strategies so traders can employ and tweak successful strategies. Summary How Backtesting Works Analysts use backtesting as a way to test and compare various trading techniques