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CFA L3 > Portfolio Construction (10.27.24) > Flashcards

Portfolio Construction (10.27.24) Flashcards

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1
Q

Correlation between equities and hyperinflation

A

Negative

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2
Q

Negative screening

A

(ESG) approach that consists of excluding investments in certain sectors, companies, or practices

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3
Q

Positive-screening

A

Including sectors, companies, practices, etc.

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4
Q

Best in class approach

A

(ESG) implementation approach that seeks to identify the most favorable companies in an industry based on ESG considerations

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5
Q

Goal of ESG integration

A

Reduce financial risks and/or enhance financial returns by identifying and valuing risks or opportunities that are not typically identified and valued

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6
Q

Thematic Investing

A

Investing in companies with positive exposure to ESG mega trends

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7
Q

Examples of thematic investing

A

clean energy, green technology, sustainable agriculture, gender diversity, or affordable housing

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8
Q

Impact investing

A

Seeks to achieve targeted social or environmental objectives along with measurable financial returns through engagement with a company or by direct investment in projects or companies

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9
Q

Roles of Equities in Portfolio

A

1) Capital appreciation
2) Dividend Income
3) Diversification with other asset classes
4) Hedge against inflation

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10
Q

Optional stock dividends

A

Type of dividend in which shareholders may elect to receive either cash or new shares, option can be sold

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11
Q

Securities Lending

A

A form of collaterized lending that may be used to generate income for portfolios

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12
Q

Stock lending

A

Securities lending involving the transfer of equities

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13
Q

Dividend Capture

A

Trading strategy, where equity PM purchases stocks just before their ex-dividend dates, holds these stocks through ex-dividend date to earn the right to receive the dividend, and subsequently sells the shares

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14
Q

High-water mark

A

A measure that reflects the fund’s maximum value as of a performance fee payment date net of fees

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15
Q

Costs associated with owning and managing an equity portfolio

A

1) Management fees
2) Performance fees
3) Administration fees
4) Marketing and Distribution Costs
5) Trading costs

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16
Q

Buffering

A

Establishing ranges around breakpoints that define whether a stock belongs in one index or another

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17
Q

Packeting

A

Splitting stock positions into multiple parts

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18
Q

Advantages of market cap weighted index

A

1) Mean variance efficient
2) Reflects a strategy’s investment capacity
3) Liquidity weighted index

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19
Q

Most common form of market-cap weighting

A

Free-float weighting - adjust each constituent’s shares outstanding for closely held shares that are not generally available to the investing publicP

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20
Q

Price-weighted index

A

Weight of each stock is its price per share divided by the sum of all share prices in the index (DJI and Nikkei 225)

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21
Q

Roles of Fixed-Income securities in portfolios

A

1) Diversification (low correlation with equities)
2) Regular cash flows
3) Inflation-hedging potential (inflation-linked bonds)

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22
Q

For an index to become the basis for an equity investment strategy, what are the 3 initial requirements

A

1) rules based
2) transparent
3) investable

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23
Q

Two broad categories of fixed-income mandates

A

1) Liability based mandates
2) Total return mandates

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24
Q

Liability-based mandates

A

Mandates managed to match or cover expected liability payments (future cash outflows) with future projected cash inflows, also called asset/liability management (ALM)

1) Cash-flow matching
2) Duration matching
3) Derivatives overlay
4) Contingent immunization

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25
Q

Cash flow matching

A

Immunization approach that attempts to ensure that all future liability payouts are matched precisely by cash flows from bonds or fixed-income derivatives

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26
Q

Duration matching

A

Immunization approach based on the duration of assets and liabilities. Ideally, the liabilities being matched (the liability portfolio) and the portfolio of assets (the bond portfolio) should be affected similarly by a change in interest rates

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27
Q

Contingent immunization

A

Hybrid approach that combines immunization with an active management approach when the asset portfolio’s value exceeds the present value of the liability portfolio

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28
Q

Total Return Mandates

A

Managed to either track or outperform a market-weighted fixed-income benchmark, such as the Bloomberg Barclays Global Aggregate Bond Index

1) Pure indexing
2) Enhanced indexing
3) Active management

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29
Q

Pure indexing

A

Attempts to replicate a bond index as closely as possible, targeting zero active return and zero active risk

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30
Q

Active return

A

Return on a portfolio minus the return on the portfolio’s benchmark

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31
Q

Active risk

A

Annualized standard deviation of active returns

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32
Q

Tracking risk (tracking error)

A

The standard deviation of the differences between a portfolio’s returns and its benchmarks returns

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33
Q

Enhanced indexing approach

A

Maintains a close link to the benchmark but attempts to generate a modest amount of outperformance relative to the benchmark

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34
Q

Active management

A

Portfolio management approach that allows risk factor mismatches relative to a benchmark index causing potentially significant return differences between the active portfolio and the underlying benchmark

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35
Q

Macauley Duration (MacDur)

A

Weighted average of the time to receipt of the bond’s promised payments, where the weights are the shares of the full price that correspond to each of the bond’s promised future payments

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36
Q

Modified Duration (ModDur)

A

MacDur / (1+Yield per period), which estimates percentage price change (including accrued interest) for a bond given a change in its yield to maturity

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37
Q

Effective Duration

A

Sensitivity of the bond’s price to a change in a benchmark yield curve (using a parallel shift in the benchmark yield curve

Essential to the measurement of the interest rate risk of a complex bond where future cash flows are uncertain

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38
Q

Key Rate Duration

A

A measure of a bond’s sensitivity to a change in the benchmark yield curve at a specific maturity point or segment…helps identify shaping risk for a bond/portfolio – that is, its sensitivity to changes in the shape of the benchmark yield curve (yield curve becoming steeper or flatter or showing more or less curvature)

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39
Q

Empirical duration

A

A measure of interest rate sensitivity that is determined from market data…run a regression of bond price returns on changes in a benchmark interest rate

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40
Q

Money Duration

A

A measure of the price change in units of the currency in which the bond is denominated

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41
Q

Price value of a basis point (PVBP)

A

An estimate of the change in a bond’s price give an 1bp change in yield to maturity. PVBP scales money duration so that it can be interpreted as money gained or lost for each basis point change in the reference interest rate

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42
Q

Convexity

A

A second-order effect that describes a bond’s price behavior for larger yield movements. It captures the extent to which the yield/price relationship deviates from a linear relationship

If positive, expected return of the bond will be higher than the return of the identical-duration, lower-convexity bond if interest rates change

A bond with higher convexity might be expected to have a lower yield to maturity than a similar-duration bond with less convexity

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43
Q

What does nominal convexity calculations assume

A

Cash flows do not change when yields to maturity change

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44
Q

Effective convexity

A

A curve convexity statistic that measures the secondary effect of a change in a benchmark yield curve. A pricing model is used to determine the new prices when the benchmark curve is shifted upward (PV+) and downward (PV-) by the same amount (delta curve), holding other factors constant

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45
Q

Macauley duration properties for zero-coupon (option free) bonds:

A

MacDurs increase linearly with maturity (30-year zero has 3x duration of 10-year zero)

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46
Q

Convexity properties for zeros

A

Convexity is approximately proportional to duration squared (30-year zero has 9x convexity as 10-year zero)

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47
Q

Convexity of coupon-paying bonds vs. zeros

A

Coupon-paying bonds have more convexity than zeros of the same duration

In fact, the more widely dispersed a bond’s cast flows are around the duration point, the more convexity it will exhibit (zero will have lowest convexity of all bonds of a given duration)

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48
Q

Bond portfolio duration

A

Sensitivity of a portfolio of bonds to small changes in interest rates, calculated as the weighted average of time to receipt of the aggregate cash flows or weighted average of the individual bond durations of the portfolio

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49
Q

Modified duration of a bond portfolio

A

Indicates percentage change in the market value given a change in the yield to maturity

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50
Q

When is convexity more valuable as a measure

A

when YTM are more volatile

51
Q

How can a portfolio’s convexity be altered

A

By shifting the maturity/duration distribution of bonds in the portfolio, by adding individual bonds with the desired convexity properties, or by using derivatives

52
Q

Effective duration formula

A

(PV-) - (PV+) / (2 * delta curve * PV0)

53
Q

Effective convexity formula

A

(PV-) + (PV+) - (2*PV0) / (PV0 * delta curve ^2)

54
Q

Spread duration

A

Change in bond price for a given change in yield spread, also called OAS duration when OAS is the yield measure used

55
Q

Duration times spread (DTS)

A

Weighting of spread duration by credit spread in order to incorporate the empirical observation that spread changes for lower-rated bonds tend to be consistent on a percentage, rather than absolute, basis

56
Q

Portfolio dispersion

A

Captures the variance of the times to receipt of cash flows with respect to the duration, used in measuring interest rate immunization for liabilities

measures the extent to which the payments are spread out around the duration

higher cash flow dispersion leads to an increase in convexity

57
Q

Relative Value

A

Concept that describes the selection of the most attractive individual securities to populate the portfolio with, using ranking and comparing

58
Q

Private wealth management

A

Financial planning and investment management to help individual investors, particular HNW and UHNW, manage their wealth

59
Q

HNW individual minimum threshold

A

1 million

60
Q

UHNW individual minimum threshold

A

30 million

61
Q

7 phases of the wealth life cycle

A

1) Education phase
2) Early career phase
3) Career development phase
4) Peak accumulation phase
5) Preretirement phase
6) Early retirement phase
7) Late retirement phase

62
Q

Human capital

A

Net present value of an individual’s future expected labor income

63
Q

Main components of an IPS

A

1) Client’s background and investment objectives
2) Investment program parameters
3) Portfolio asset allocation ranges
4) Portfolio management processes
5) Duties and responsibilities of the involved parties

64
Q

Personal assets

A

Personal property that is not expected to appreciate in value

65
Q

Gini coefficient

A

A measure of inequality of wealth, or i, that ranges from 0 (perfect equality) to 1 (perfect inequality)

66
Q

Lorenz Curve

A

A measure of the cumulative percentage of wealth owned by each percentage of the population

67
Q

Family office

A

Private firm that offer a range of wealth management services tailored specifically for ultra high net work individuals

68
Q

Expected return for fixed income

A

(coupon income) +/- (rolldown return) +- (expected change in price due to investor’s view of benchmark yield) +- expected change in price due to investor’s view of yield spreads) +- (expected change in price due to investor’s view of currency value changes)

69
Q

Rolldown return

A

Results from the bond “rolling down” the yield curve as the time to maturity decrease, assuming zero interest rate volatility

(bond price as of end of horizon period - bond price beginning of horizon period) / bond price beginning of horizon period

70
Q

Expected change in price based on investor’s view of benchmark yield

A

(-ModDur * Delta Yield) + (1/2 * convexity * delta yield^2)

71
Q

Expected change in price base don investor’s views of yield spreads

A

(-ModSpreadDur * delta spread) + (1/2 * convexity * delta spread^2)

71
Q

Rolling yield

A

coupon income + rolldown return

71
Q

Easiest component to estimate in fixed income returns

A

coupon income

72
Q

Limitations of the Expected Return Decomposition of Fixed Income

A

1) Assumes all intermediate cash flows of the bond are reinvested at the yield to maturity
2) Ignores local richness/cheapness effects and potential financing advantages

73
Q

Leverage

A

Use of borrowed capital to increase the magnitude of portfolio positions

74
Q

Leveraged portfolio return

A

Portfolio return / portfolio equity

[return on invested funds * (value of portfolio equity + borrowed funds) - (borrowed funds * borrowing rate) ] / value of portfolio equity

return + V(b) / V(e) * (return - cost of funds)

75
Q

Leverage of futures contract

A

(notional value - margin) / margin

76
Q

Interest on repo

A

Dollar interest = principal amount * repo rate * (term of repo/360)

77
Q

Haircut

A

Amount by which the collateral’s value exceeds the repo principal amount

78
Q

Rebate Rate

A

The portion of the collateral earnings rate that is repaid to the security borrower by the security lender

collateral earnings rate - security lending rate

79
Q

Rebate rate when securities are difficult to borrow

A

negative

80
Q

Types of liabilities

A

Type 1: amount of cash outlay - known; timing of cash outlay - known
Type 2: amount of cash outlay - known; timing of cash outlay - unknown
Type 3: amount of cash outlay - unknown; timing of cash outlay - known
Type 4: amount of cash outlay - unknown; timing of cash outlay - unknown

81
Q

Type 1 Liability example and measure for interest rate sensitivity

A

traditional bond no embedded option

MacDur, ModDur, PVBP

82
Q

Type 2 liability example and measure for interest rate sensitivity

A

Callable and puttable bonds
term life insurance policy (timing of death unknown)

Effective Duration

83
Q

Type 3 liability example and measure for interest rate sensitivity

A

floating rate notes

Effective Duration

84
Q

Type 4 liability example and measure for interest rate sensitivity

A

property insurance

Effective Duration

85
Q

Immunized Portfolio convexity

A

(MacDur^2 + MacDur + Dispersion) / (1+Cash flow yield)^2

86
Q

Unsmoothing

A

An adjustment to the reported return series if serial correlation is detected

87
Q

Capital Contribution (CC) in year t

A

RC * (CC - PIC)

RC = rate of contribution
CC = Capital commitment
PIC = paid in capital

88
Q

Placeholders for alts

A

high yield = private credit
REITs = private real estate
energy/commodity futures = private real assets

89
Q

General guideline for time investment in alternative

A

15 years

90
Q

3 Primary approaches to determine how much to put into alts

A

1) Monte Carlo
2) Optimization techniques
3) Risk-factor based approach

91
Q

Longevity Risk

A

The risk of exhausting an individual’s financial resources before passing

92
Q

Performance measures for institutional investor vs individual investor

A

institutional - benchmark
individual - goal

93
Q

Risk measures for institutional investor vs. individual investor

A

institutional - quantitative metrics
individual - risk of not meeting the goal

94
Q

Tax drag

A

the negative effects of taxes on an investments’ returns

95
Q

Defining characteristics of an institutional investor

A

1) Scale (size of assets)
2) Long-term investment horizon
3) Regulatory Frameworks
4) Governance framework
5) Principal-agent issues

96
Q

Canada model

A

Characterized by a high allocation to alternatives. Unlike the endowment model, however, the Canada model relies more on internally managed assets. The innovative features of the Canada model are the: a) reference portfolio, b) total portfolio approach, and c) active management

97
Q

Key elements that affect DB cash flows

A

1) Service/tenure
2) Salary/earnings
3) Mortality/longevity

98
Q

5 Types of Sovereign Wealth Funds

A

1) Budget stabilization fund
2) Development fund
3) Savings fund
4) Reserve fund
5) Pension reserve fund

99
Q

Budget Stabilization Fund investment objective and allocation

A

Capital preservation

Dominated by fixed-income investments because of their defensive nature

100
Q

Development funds investment objective and allocation

A

Support a nation’s economic development with the ultimate goal of raising a country’s long-term economic growth

101
Q

Savings fund investment objective and allocation

A

ensure wealth transfer to future generations

Tilted toward growth assets, equities, and alternatives due to long investment horizons

102
Q

Reserve funds investment objective and allocation

A

Achieve a rate of return above the return the government must pay on its monetary stabilization bonds, thereby eliminating the negative cost-of-carry of holding excess FX reserves

Similar to savings funds (growth assets, equities), but less to alternatives because of higher liquidity needs

103
Q

Pension reserve funds investment objective and allocation

A

earn sufficient returns to maximize the likelihood of being able to meet future unfunded pension, social security, and/or health care liabilities of plan participants as they arise

Tilted toward equities with significant allocation to alternative assets, such as real assets and infrastructure, private equity and debt markets, and hedge funds

104
Q

Types of foundations

A

1) Community foundations
2) Operating foundations
3) Corporate foundations
4) Private grant-making foundations

105
Q

Community foundation

A

Charitable organizations that make social or educational grants for the benefit of a local community, funded by public donations

106
Q

Operating foundation

A

Organizations that exist to operate a not-for-profit business for charitable purposes, funded by individual donors or donor families

107
Q

Corporate foundation

A

Established by businesses, funded by profits

108
Q

Private grant-making foundation

A

Established by individual donors or donor families to support specific types of charities, largest foundations in US are these

109
Q

3 Different types of endowment spending policies

A

1) Constant Growth rule: provides a fixed amount annually to the university, adjusted for inflation

2) Market value rule: endowment pays a pre-specified percentage (spending rate) of the moving average of asset values, typically between 4% and 6%

3) Hybrid rule: Spending is calculated as a weighted average of the constant growth and market value rules

110
Q

How much do private foundations in the US need to pay out of their assets to be eligible for tax-exempt status

A

5%

111
Q

Two types of insurance companies

A

1) Life insurers
2) Property and casualty insurers

112
Q

Effective spread

A

spread that traders would have observed if the quoted ask or the bid were equal to the trade price

trade size * (trade price - midpoint) for buy orders
trade size * (midpoint - trade price)

113
Q

Implementation shortfall

A

The difference between the return for a notional or paper portfolio, where all transactions are assumed to take place at the manager’s decision price, and the portfolio’s actual return, which reflects realized transactions, including all fees and costs

114
Q

Volume-weighted average price (VWAP)

A

widely used benchmark price to estimate transaction costs

trade size * (trade VWAP - VWAP benchmark) for buy orders
trade size * (VWAP benchmark - trade VWAP) for sell orders

115
Q

When VWAP is problematic

A

1) When the trades being evaluated are a substantial fraction of all trades in the VWAP benchmark

2) When the trades took place at the same rate as the other trades in the market

116
Q

Market fragmentation

A

Trading the same instrument in multiple venues

117
Q

High frequency traders (HFTs)

A

complete round trips composed of a purchase followed by a sale within a minute or quicker

118
Q

Low-latency traders

A

News traders who trade on electronic news feeds and certain parasitic trades, hold their positions for as long as a day or longer

119
Q

Parasitic traders

A

Speculators who base their predictions about future prices on information they obtain about orders that other trades intend or will soon intend, to fill

includes, front runners

120
Q

3 Needs for speed for electronic traders

A

1) Taking: Trading before others
2) Making: providing liquidity
3) Cancelling: canceling orders

121
Q

Latency

A

the elapsed time between the occurrence of an event and a subsequent action that depends on that event

122
Q
A

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