Investors are continuously looking to increase the return on their investments. In an ideal world investors want to increase there return and outperform the market. Theory states that it is impossible to do so without increasing your risk. Arbitrage is a concept where investors are able to generate risk-free returns exceeding the market. Dividend is a common tool for publicly listed firms when rewarding their shareholders. On ex- dividend day, the day after the dividend payout, the stock price should according to theory decrease in order for the valuation of the stock to be held constant. In our research we investigate if there are arbitrage opportunities in connection to the dividend payouts, namely the ex-dividend effect. We want to generalize our results across experimental settings, thus across different stock markets. As a basis for our research we picked the OMXS. We base our research on three theoretical areas: the dividend irrelevancy theory, the efficient market hypothesis and the anchoring theory. The dividend irrelevancy relates to how the stock price ought to behave on ex-dividend day whereas the efficient market hypotheses states that prices on a market fully reflects all available information. Both theories concur that no arbitrage opportunities should be available on the financial market. The anchoring theory highlights the fact that investors formulate an anchor price for financial assets, for example stocks. In our research we aim to formulate a practical method on how to make abnormal returns on the ex dividend effect, based on the anchoring theory. Our census sample consists of dividend-paying firms publicly registered on the OMXS, and consists of 694 observations taken from 2009 to 2012. The sample was picked on the basis of characteristics, for example that the firm has been registered for at least four years and paid dividend one time during the four years of investigation. In order to tests for arbitrage opportunities on ex-dividend day, we used a simple mathematical model measuring the deviation between the price drop cum-dividend day to ex-dividend day, and the dividend amount. We conclude that the price drop differs from the dividend amount, only accounting for a price drop of 0.73 of the dividend amount. Thus, the price drop for each dividend unit is 0.73, in relation to a perfectly efficient market where there should be no difference; hence the price drop would be equal to the dividend amount, 1. Research on the ex-dividend effect is a thoroughly investigated area, where the first research was presented in 1955. Previous research all attempts to explain why there are market anomalies, but none examine how one can capitalize on the findings. In our research we examine if it is possible to make abnormal returns based on a segmenting of stocks, depending on their price volatility. This research is thereby first in examining how to capitalize on found arbitrage opportunities.

The first part of thesis describes the Efficient Market Theory, its characteristics and forms. Another theoretical approach are Behavioral Finances that can also explain the stock market price making. The main topic is Financial Market Anomalies that defy the Efficient Market Theory. Anomalies state that an investor is able to achieve above average profits in the long term regularly. The thesis is focused on two anomalies selected for further testing on the data of companies traded on German exchange Xetra. Data was obtained from Yahoo Finance and processed for statistical tests. Anomalies occurrence was scarce, therefore it cannot be said that an investor is able to achieve above average profits in the long term regularly.

In financial markets, momentum effect can be defined as the tendency of prices to maintain their short term movements. On the other hand, reversal effect is usually understood to be the change in direction of long term price movements. This paper examines whether momentum and reversal effects were in evidence in the Brazilian stock market between January 1999 and June 2012. After calculating 1296 trading strategies, no evidence of reversal effect is found. With regard to momentum effect, some weak evidence is presented for the very short term. Exposure to risk factors can explain returns on strategies, including returns on momentum strategies. The results are borne out with different market proxy specifications and size subsamples. When compared to previous studies, the results raise the question of whether the reversal effect is vanishing from the Brazilian stock market and whether the traces of momentum are sufficient to confirm its existence. Furthermore, evidence of seasonality is found for June in momentum strategies and for November in both reversal and momentum strategies. Subsequent tests reveal that the effects of seasonality are limited to small stocks. / Nos mercados financeiros, o efeito momento pode ser definido como a tendência dos preços em manter seus movimentos de curto prazo. Por outro lado, o efeito contrário é geralmente entendido como a mudança na direção dos movimentos de longo prazo dos preços. O presente trabalho examina a existência dos efeitos momento e contrário no mercado acionário brasileiro no período compreendido entre janeiro de 1999 e junho de 2012. A partir do cálculo de 1296 estratégias de investimento, nenhuma evidência de efeito contrário é encontrada. Com relação ao efeito momento, observou-se apenas uma fraca evidência no curtíssimo prazo. A exposição aos fatores de risco é capaz de explicar os retornos das estratégias, inclusive os retornos das estratégias de momento. Os resultados são robustos ao se utilizar diferentes especificações de proxy de mercado e subamostras de valor de mercado. Quando comparados a trabalhos anteriores, os resultados colocam em questão se o efeito contrário está desaparecendo no mercado acionário brasileiro e se as fracas evidências do efeito momento são suficientes para confirmar sua existência. Ademais, são observadas evidências de sazonalidade no mês de junho nas estratégias de momento e, no mês de novembro, em ambas as estratégias. Testes posteriores revelam que esses efeitos de sazonalidade estão restritos à subamostra de baixo valor de mercado.

Les marchés financiers occupent, depuis des décennies, une place importante dans notre société. Pourtant, ils présentent des risques accrus auxquels font face la majorité des institutions financières. Les crises, les krachs, les bulles et les turbulences financières jalonnent l’histoire de ces marchés et les déstabilisent fréquemment. En effet, l’existence des anomalies et des biais psychologiques, allant à l’encontre de l’hypothèse d’efficience, remettent en question la théorie financière et révèlent de façon rigoureuse les inefficacités des mécanismes de gestion financière et de contrôle du risque du marché. Confrontés à ces évolutions, le comité de Bâle II recommande la Value at Risk comme une nouvelle vision réglementaire des risques. Ce processus d’innovation financière, introduite par la banque JP Morgan dans les années 90, a connu une grande reconnaissance en finance, mais elle est aussi sujette à des controverses continuelles. Pour surmonter les limites de la VaR, nous proposons un nouveau cadre d’analyse de la VaR basé sur des processus fractals. Tenant compte des anomalies et des facteurs de risques du marché financier, qui induisent des rendements par nature non-gaussiens, nous introduisons la VaR en fonction du modèle multifractal à changements de régime markovien de Calvet et Fisher. L’approche VaR-MSM qui modélise la volatilité multifractale à différentes fréquences constitue un aperçu différent d’évaluation du risque du marché. En appliquant ce modèle sur l’indice boursier français le CAC 40, les résultats obtenus révèlent que la VaR-MSM a surpassé assez nettement les autres modèles d’évaluation de la VaR. / Financial markets occupy an important place in our society. However, they present increased risks to financial institutions. Crises, crashes, bubbles and financial turbulence often destabilize these markets. Indeed, the existence of different anomalies and psychological bias, going against the hypothesis of efficiency, put into question financial theory and present an inefficiency of financial and risk management. Faced with these effects, Bale II committee recommended Value at risk as a new financial instrument of risk management. Value at Risk, introduced by JP Morgan Bank in the 90, have a great recognition in finance, but it is also a subject of controversy. To overcome the VaR limits, we propose a new framework based on fractal process. Taking into account abnormalities and risk factors of financial markets, which induce non-Gaussian returns, we introduce the VaR with a Markov-switching multifractal model proposed by Calvet and Fisher. The VaR-MSM approach presents multifractal volatility at different frequencies. We apply this model to the France CAC 40 stock market index. The results clearly show the advantages of VaR-MSM compared with other models of VaR evaluation.

[pt] Este trabalho analisa a eficácia da estratégia do fator Betting Against Beta (BAB), estabelecido por Frazzini e Pedersen (2014), aplicado no mercado de ações brasileiro. Os resultados indicam alfa significativo e persistente para BAB no Brasil mesmo quando controlado para demais fatores de risco conhecidos. O desempenho do fator BAB foi analisado sob a especificação original e permaneceu robusto à variações do parâmetro de suavização e janelas de estimação dos betas ex-ante. Adicionalmente, verificou-se a relevância da inclinação da curva de juros spot do Brasil e condições de liquidez do mercado como previsores do desempenho de BAB. Os resultados indicam elevada significância da inclinação de juros e da liquidez do mercado na performance contemporânea do fator BAB. / [en] This paper analyzes the effectiveness of the Betting Against Beta (BAB) factor strategy, established by Frazzini and Pedersen (2014), applied to the Brazilian stock market. The results points to significant and persistent alpha for BAB in Brazil even when controlled for other well-known risk factors. BAB factor performance was analyzed under the original model specification and remained robust to changes of the beta smoothing parameter and different ex-ante betas estimation windows. Additionally, we analyze the relevance of the Brazil s yield curve slope and stock market liquidity conditions as predictors of BAB performance. The results points to high significance level of the yield curve slope and market liquidity as explanations for contemporary performance of the BAB factor.

The aim of this paper is to test whether an investment strategy originally created by Piotroski (2000), can be refined by combining it with the price-to-earnings-anomaly. In detail, we accomplish this by implementing Piotroskis F_SCORE-model to identify and consequently separate financially weak- and strong firms. Furthermore, we create an investment portfolio based on a combination of the highest rated companies according to the F_SCORE-model, and the most undervalued companies from the price-to-earnings-anomaly, to create a joint investment strategy (M_STRAT). This is carried out during the time-period 1999-2009, while reconstructing the portfolio annually. The results of our study show that, by combining the two models, we are able to achieve a market-adjusted return of 44,1%, hence amplifying the original F_SCORE-model by 17%.

One could argue that the most discussed topic in finance is whether or not it is possible to “beat the market”. Even though many people claim to do this, there is little evidence to support the idea that one can consistently beat the market over a long period of time. There are indeed several examples of investors who have managed to outperform the market consistently for a long time, but the efforts of these individuals or institutions could by many be considered to be pure luck. One of the many strategies that have been evaluated by several researchers and is said to generate a risk adjusted return greater than that of the market, is one based on the P/E-effect. This strategy is based on the financial ratio P/E – price divided by earnings – and used by constructing portfolios consisting of stocks with low P/E ratios. Several studies have confirmed the existence of the P/E-effect on various stock markets around the world and over different time periods. On the Swedish market, however, few studies have generated the same results. Most of these studies can be considered to be insufficient with regards to sample sizes and methods, spawning a need for more extensive studies. We have examined the P/E strategy on the Swedish Stock Exchange (SSE) between 2004 and 2012. The sample included 358 companies (excluding financial companies) with available necessary data. The stocks were divided into five portfolios based on their yearly P/E ratios (low to high), upon which the monthly returns of the individual stocks were calculated using a logarithmic formula. The returns were also risk adjusted using the Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM), followed by a regression analysis to see if possible abnormal returns could be considered to be statistically significant for the examined time period. The results of our study indicate that the P/E effect is not present on the Swedish Stock Exchange during the examined time period, and we therefore conclude that it was not possible to utilize a strategy based on the P/E effect between 2004 and 2012 in order to achieve an abnormal return. The results can be used to argue that the Swedish stock market is more efficient than for example the U.S. stock market where the P/E effect has been found to exist.

本論文採用Fama and French[1993]所提出之三因子模式為基礎，以公司規模[firm size]、帳面淨值市價比[book to market ratio]、及市場超額報酬[market excess return]為三因子，配合動能因子[momentum]及三種不同的流動性指標[成交量，成交值，成交量週轉率]來延伸探討五因子的時間序列資產定價模式。 本文的研究資料為西元1992年1月到西元2000年12月間的452家上市公司週資料，期望能解釋月資料所無法包含的資訊內涵。 結論： (1.)台灣股票市場確實有規模效果，淨值市價比效果，動能效果，及流動性效果。 (2.)市場因子具有解釋能力。 (3.)小公司投資組合解釋效果不佳，在台灣股票市場可能有其他因素未放入評價模式中驗證。 (4.)流動性指標在台灣股票市場上，確實和股票報酬有負向的關係存在，且建議以成交量週轉率作為流動性的代表指標。 (5.)台灣股票市場有顯著的動能存在，投資者可藉由動能策略獲得更高的超額報酬。 / This article provides evidence that stock returns listed in the Taiwan Stock Exchange do have shared variation due to the “market anomalies”, such as size, book-to-market ratio, momentum, and liquidity, which have been argued by scholars and investment professionals for many years. The evidence shows that small-cap effect plays an important role in explaining the violation in stock returns after controlling for other determinants of stock returns. Besides, value, momentum, and liquidity effect do exist in the Taiwan stock market. Moreover, we suggest that turnover rate is a better proxy for liquidity in terms of its stronger relations with the stylized portfolio returns. We empirically estimate the intercepts of our asset-market models using weekly time-series data for individual securities over the sample period from 1992 to 2000 and across 452 securities. To emphasize particularly, our result does not imply that the Taiwan stock market is not an efficient market.

<p>The cross-sectional variation of stock returns used to be described by the Capital Asset Pricing Model until the early 90‟s. Anomalies, such as, book-to-market effect and small firm effect undermined CAPM‟s ability to explain stock returns and Fama & French (1992) have shown that simple firm attributes, like, firm size and book-to-market value can explain the returns far better than Beta. Following Fama & French many other researchers examine the explanatory powers of CAPM and other asset pricing models. However, most of those studies use US data. There are some researches done in different countries than US, however more out-of-sample studies need to be conducted.</p><p>To our knowledge there are very few studies using the Swedish data and this thesis contributes to that small pool of studies. Moreover, the studies testing the CAPM use the unconditional version of the model. There are some papers suggesting the use of a conditional CAPM that would exhibit better explanatory powers than the unconditional CAPM. Different ways of conditioning the CAPM have been proposed, but one that we think is the least complex and possible to make use of in the business world is the dual-beta model. This conditional CAPM assumes a different relationship between beta and stock returns during the up markets and down markets. Furthermore, the model has not thoroughly been tested outside the US. Our study is the first to use the dual-beta model in Sweden. In addition, the momentum effect has lately been given some attention and Fama & French‟s (1993) three factor model has not been able to explain the abnormal returns related to that anomaly. We test the Fama & French three factor model, CAPM and Carhart‟s four factor model‟s explanatory abilities of the momentum effect using Swedish stock returns. Ultimately, our aim is to find the best model that describes stock return cross-section on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.</p><p>We use returns of all the non-financial firms listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange between September, 1997 and April, 2010. The number of companies included in our time sample is 366. The results of our tests indicate that the small firm effect, book-to-market effect and the momentum effect are not present on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Consequently, the CAPM emerges as the one model that explains stock return cross-section better than the other models suggesting that Beta is still a proper measure of risk. Furthermore, the conditional version of CAPM describes the stock return variation far better than the unconditional CAPM. This implies using different Betas to estimate risk during up market conditions and down market conditions.</p>

The cross-sectional variation of stock returns used to be described by the Capital Asset Pricing Model until the early 90‟s. Anomalies, such as, book-to-market effect and small firm effect undermined CAPM‟s ability to explain stock returns and Fama &amp; French (1992) have shown that simple firm attributes, like, firm size and book-to-market value can explain the returns far better than Beta. Following Fama &amp; French many other researchers examine the explanatory powers of CAPM and other asset pricing models. However, most of those studies use US data. There are some researches done in different countries than US, however more out-of-sample studies need to be conducted. To our knowledge there are very few studies using the Swedish data and this thesis contributes to that small pool of studies. Moreover, the studies testing the CAPM use the unconditional version of the model. There are some papers suggesting the use of a conditional CAPM that would exhibit better explanatory powers than the unconditional CAPM. Different ways of conditioning the CAPM have been proposed, but one that we think is the least complex and possible to make use of in the business world is the dual-beta model. This conditional CAPM assumes a different relationship between beta and stock returns during the up markets and down markets. Furthermore, the model has not thoroughly been tested outside the US. Our study is the first to use the dual-beta model in Sweden. In addition, the momentum effect has lately been given some attention and Fama &amp; French‟s (1993) three factor model has not been able to explain the abnormal returns related to that anomaly. We test the Fama &amp; French three factor model, CAPM and Carhart‟s four factor model‟s explanatory abilities of the momentum effect using Swedish stock returns. Ultimately, our aim is to find the best model that describes stock return cross-section on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. We use returns of all the non-financial firms listed on Stockholm Stock Exchange between September, 1997 and April, 2010. The number of companies included in our time sample is 366. The results of our tests indicate that the small firm effect, book-to-market effect and the momentum effect are not present on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Consequently, the CAPM emerges as the one model that explains stock return cross-section better than the other models suggesting that Beta is still a proper measure of risk. Furthermore, the conditional version of CAPM describes the stock return variation far better than the unconditional CAPM. This implies using different Betas to estimate risk during up market conditions and down market conditions.