This paper investigates the diversification characteristics of commodities in relation to the Swedish equity index OMXSPI. Much of the previous literature concludes that gold and oil possess diversification or hedging properties against the US equity markets. The findings from literature investigating other markets or commodities are less conclusive. We apply a DCC-GARCH model on monthly data between 1996 and 2022 and analyze the dynamic conditional correlations between eight commodities, Swedish inflation and OMXSPI. We focus our analysis on three well-known crises and find large variations in the correlation among the assets and between the different crises. We also construct three portfolios, a minimum variance-, maximum Sharpe- and equally weighted portfolio, to investigate if commodities lower the variance of a portfolio based on OMXSPI. We find that aluminum, cocoa, silver and soybeans display diversification characteristics while copper, platinum and rubber are deemed less capable diversifiers. The model returned no significant results between the commodities and inflation. We conclude this could be because of the stable nature of Sweden’s inflation or the low contribution commodities seem to have to the GDP.

A growing number of studies have been conducted in the sphere of portfolio analysis concerning different approaches for analyzing stocks and outperforming the market. Pioneers in the sphere of portfolio theory like William Sharpe and Harry Markowitz have developed strategies and ratios for portfolio analysis that could generate positive risk-adjusted returns. Thus, this paper will solicit a number of these strategies to endeavor and generate a return that is higher than the market index while considering the expenses that come with buying and selling stocks (transaction costs). Therefore, the purpose of this study is to assess how active investing measures up to passive investing in the sphere of the Swedish stock market. The roadmap to achieve the desired goals set by the authors is to create numerous portfolios on a weekly basis with securities present in the Swedish OMX30 index using the Maximum Sharpe, Maximum M2, Minimum Variance, and Equally Weighted optimizations. Then the significance of the transaction costs will be tested and a comparison with the market index will be made. The results suggest that in the realm of the Swedish stock market, investing in dynamically optimized portfolios based on the maximization of Sharpe Ratio and M2 will generate higher returns in comparison to passively investing in the market index, and the significance of transaction costs varies upon the amount of capital invested in the portfolios.

The State of Mississippi wants to manage its oyster resource to increase production, quality, ecological, and economic benefits. In this study, we employ modern portfolio theory (MPT) to test if there are potential gains to hold multiple oyster resources for multiple benefits to aid the state's effort in achieving its goal. Using a Delphi approach, we elicit complete sets of data on ecosystem services (on oxygen, nutrients, sedimentation, and salinity) across multiple oyster resources (traditional plantings, off-bottom farms, and restored reefs). A benefit transfer method is used later to assigned money-metric value to each service estimate. The multiple service values are then aggregated into net service value. We compute the means, standard deviations, and correlations of benefits across all resources using the net service values, and generate efficient frontiers from that information. Results indicate that Mississippi could benefit from holding multiple oyster resources while focusing more on off-bottom oyster farms.

Participating in the ancillary services market, alongside the day-ahead market, can be economically beneficial for market actors. However, adopting an optimal bidding strategy is not straight forward. The decision-making process is subject to uncertainty, due to the prices being unknown before gate closure times. Furthermore, at some instances, the day-ahead production schedule might have to change to obtain the ability of reserving capacity. Previous research have studied the gains of adopting a coordinated bidding strategy. However, most of this research focus on the day-ahead market and the intraday market. Less focus it put on the ancillary services market. Additionally, smaller case studies are often carried out in previous research. For producers owning multiple power plants, treating every plant individually turns into a time consuming and complex process. This project constructs a model that instead uses a top-down approach. A system of hydropower plants is aggregated into one curve, representing the water valuation. This, together with a representation of available capacity for the system, gives the cost of delivering capacity. The cost is incurred through not producing optimally on the day-ahead market. Thereafter, modern portfolio theory is applied when determining how to allocate between the different products. Modifications to the traditional theory are made in order to better suit this context. Price forecasts are modelled as expected return, and historical price forecasting errors represents the risk. The model output is bid ladders for all capacity ancillary services. A top-down approach makes it possible for large scale producers to adopt the methodology, and results in a structured way of constructing the bids, while aiming at spreading the risk.

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Although nonprofit organization (NPO) leaders play crucial roles in society, financial distress and vulnerability are common for many NPO leaders, with some NPOs closing as a result of these conditions. The purpose of this single-case study was to explore the diversification strategies used by 10 leaders and senior staff of an NPO in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States through the conceptual lens of Markowitz's modern portfolio theory. Data were collected through in-depth semistructured interviews and analysis of organizational documents, internal archival data, social media, literature, and online databases. Through thematic analysis, 7 revenue diversification themes emerged: adding revenue streams; establishing an operating reserve; establishing positive financial performance; achieving financial stability, sustainability, organizational capacity, and organizational resilience; using transparency; achieving efficiency and organizational effectiveness; and using a marketing strategy. Additionally, 7 key themes emerged: documenting and implementing systematic processes, developing an approach to process improvement, implementing cross-department action plans, increasing transparency, reversing the adverse trend in forum participation, building a data-management system, and increasing individual and organizational capacity. These findings have implications for positive social change, in that they may offer NPO executives new insights and strategies to support revenue diversification, thereby helping them to reduce volatility in funding, decrease financial risk, avoid dependence on sole-source revenue, and identify opportunities to increase flexibility in support of organizational goals and objectives to increase services.

<p>I denna magisteruppsats undersöks eventuella långsiktiga samband mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och aktiemarknaderna i Tyskland, Storbritannien, USA och Japan. Detta sker genom en kointegrationsanalys med Engle-Grangers metod. Undersökningen omfattar åren 1992-2010 och resultaten visar inga tecken på att det skulle existera några långsiktiga samband mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och någon av de utländska aktiemarknaderna. Resultaten ger därmed indikationer om att den svenska aktiemarknaden tillsammans med de utländska aktiemarknaderna i undersökningen är kollektivt effektiva i åtminstone den svaga formen enligt Fama (1970). Då inga långsiktiga samband existerar bör även portföljdiversifiering mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och de utländska aktiemarknaderna i undersökningen fungera effektivt på lång sikt.</p> / <p>In this master thesis the Engle-Granger method for cointegration analysis is used to examine long-term relationships between stock markets. The analysis is applied on Swedish stock market together with the stock markets in Germany, United Kingdom, United States and Japan. The result shows no significant signs of any form of long-term relationships between the Swedish and the foreign stock markets for the time period 1992 to 2010. The result therefore indicates that the Swedish stock market together with the foreign stock markets in the study is collectively efficient in at least the weak form according to Fama (1970). The result also indicates that portfolio diversification through investing in the Swedish stock market together with any of the foreign stock markets should be effective in the long run.</p>

I denna magisteruppsats undersöks eventuella långsiktiga samband mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och aktiemarknaderna i Tyskland, Storbritannien, USA och Japan. Detta sker genom en kointegrationsanalys med Engle-Grangers metod. Undersökningen omfattar åren 1992-2010 och resultaten visar inga tecken på att det skulle existera några långsiktiga samband mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och någon av de utländska aktiemarknaderna. Resultaten ger därmed indikationer om att den svenska aktiemarknaden tillsammans med de utländska aktiemarknaderna i undersökningen är kollektivt effektiva i åtminstone den svaga formen enligt Fama (1970). Då inga långsiktiga samband existerar bör även portföljdiversifiering mellan den svenska aktiemarknaden och de utländska aktiemarknaderna i undersökningen fungera effektivt på lång sikt. / In this master thesis the Engle-Granger method for cointegration analysis is used to examine long-term relationships between stock markets. The analysis is applied on Swedish stock market together with the stock markets in Germany, United Kingdom, United States and Japan. The result shows no significant signs of any form of long-term relationships between the Swedish and the foreign stock markets for the time period 1992 to 2010. The result therefore indicates that the Swedish stock market together with the foreign stock markets in the study is collectively efficient in at least the weak form according to Fama (1970). The result also indicates that portfolio diversification through investing in the Swedish stock market together with any of the foreign stock markets should be effective in the long run.

La thèse vise à développer un cadre pour mesurer l'alignement des portefeuilles financiers avec les objectifs climatiques, prenant comme point de départ à la fois la théorie traditionnelle du portefeuille moderne et les cadres d'analyse des risques financiers, ainsi que la science du climat. Il s'agit de la première tentative d'élaboration de points de repère scientifiques pour le portefeuille financier. Le cadre utilise comme point de départ le concept de «diversification optimale» basé sur la théorie moderne du portefeuille et l'hypothèse de marché efficace. Selon cette théorie, les stratégies optimales impliquent l'achat du «portefeuille de marché». Il postule que cette stratégie ne peut toutefois pas être alignée sur une stratégie de portefeuille alignée avec un scenario 2 ° C. Une telle stratégie de portefeuille basée sur la science peut toutefois avoir un sens pour les institutions financières qui considèrent des objectifs multiples (financiers et non financiers) ou des institutions financières qui pensent que les marchés évaluent mal les risques financiers associés à la transition vers une économie 2°C. Les stratégies associées à 2°C peuvent surperformer le marché. Sous l'hypothèse que la transition vers une économie bas-carbone présente un facteur de risque, pour lequel la thèse fournit une série de preuves théoriques, les stratégies de portefeuille peuvent chercher à acheter le «marché à 2 ° C» en cherchant et gérant une «diversification optimale». Le modèle étend ainsi la logique de la diversification pour réduire le risque, inhérent à la théorie moderne du portefeuille, de la classe d'actifs au niveau sectoriel et technologique. Après le développement du modèle, le modèle a été testé par une série de compagnies d'assurance, de gestionnaires d'actifs et de gestionnaires de portefeuille. Au total, plus de 250 investisseurs institutionnels ont appliqué le modèle au moment de la publication. En outre, le modèle a été testé sur environ 10000 fonds. De plus, deux banques centrales européennes ont appliqué le modèle en interne dans le cadre d'une analyse de scénario à 2 ° C de leurs entités réglementées (fonds de pension et compagnies d'assurance). Dans le cadre d'un sondage auprès de 25 investisseurs, 88% ont déclaré que le cadre était tout aussi pertinent ou plus pertinent que les évaluations climatiques existantes, et 88% ont indiqué qu'ils étaient susceptibles ou très susceptibles d'utiliser la méthodologie pour aller de l'avant. / The thesis seeks to develop a framework to measure the alignment of financial portfolios with climate goals, taking as point of departure both traditional modern portfolio theory and financial risk analysis frameworks, as well as climate science. It represents the first attempt to develop science-based benchmarks for financial portfolios. The framework uses as the starting point the concept of ‘optimal diversification’ based on the modern portfolio theory and efficient market hypothesis. Under this theory, optimal strategies involve buying the ‘market portfolio’. It posits that a 2°C aligned, science-based portfolio strategy is not aligned with such a strategy. Such a science-based portfolio strategy, in turn, may make sense for financial institutions that consider multiple objectives (e.g. financial and non-financial) or financial institutions that think markets are mispricing financial risks associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy and that associated low-carbon, or 2°C aligned strategies can outperform the market. Under the assumption that the transition to a low-carbon economy presents a risk factor, for which the thesis provides a range of theoretical evidence, portfolio strategies can seek to buy the ‘2°C market’ by managing ‘optimal diversification’ to the 2°C aligned technology set, in addition to managing sector exposures. The model thus extends the logic of diversification to reduce risk, intrinsic to the modern portfolio theory, from asset class to sector and technology level.Following the development of the model, a range of insurance companies, asset managers, and portfolio managers tested the model. In total, over 250 institutional investors have applied the model to date. In addition, the model has been tested on around 10,000 funds. Moreover, two European central banks have applied the model internally as part of 2°C scenario analysis of their regulated entities (pension funds and insurance companies). As part of a feedback survey with 25 investors, 88% said the framework was equally or more relevant than existing climate assessments, and 88% said they were likely or very likely to use the methodology moving forward.

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) are increasingly important subjects in today's society. To measure a company's Corporate Social Performance (CSP); the ESG-rating has been developed throughout the years. As investors and the public are starting to acknowledge a company's sustainable actions and the importance of these, more and more companies choses to be rated using ESG-rating. As the knowledge around the subject has started to increase, we want to find out if it affects the risk of a company or an investment? Theories relating to the topic, such as stakeholder theory, suggests that satisfying all of a company’s stakeholders creates value for a company. Previous studies in the topic has interpreted this as high ESG-ratings should equal lower risks for the company. Additionally, previous studies in the relationship between sustainability and profitability shows a positive correlation between the two, meaning that companies that incorporate sustainability in general have higher profits. The purpose of this study is to investigate if high ESG-ratings could lead to lower firm’s risk in Sweden. There has been a lot of previous research in the area, but none focusing on Sweden. The majority of the previous studies have concluded that there exists a negative relationship between CSP and a firm’s risk, which indicates that if a company would integrate CSR it could lower the risk. This study will include 145 Swedish companies with 2,610 firm-year observations from the period 2001-12-21 to 2019-12-31. The risk measures used are; Total Risk (Volatility), Systematic Risk (Beta) and Idiosyncratic Risk. As for the ESG-ratings, the data is obtained from ASSET4 from the database Thomson Reuters Eikon as the measure of CSP. Furthermore a multiple regression analysis is performed to statistically investigate the relationship between a company's ESG-rate (and the three pillars Environmental, Social and Governance) and risk. The study concluded that there exists a statistically significant positive relationship between Volatility and Idiosyncratic Risk and the ESG-score for Swedish firms. As for the individual pillars; Environmental (ENV), Social (SOC) and Governance (GOV); the result indicated that there existed a statistically significant positive relationship between Volatility and Idiosyncratic Risk with the two pillars; ENV and GOV, respectively. This suggests that the higher ESG-score, ENV and GOV-scores of Swedish firms the higher Volatility and Idiosyncratic Risk. Neither Volatility or Idiosyncratic risk showed a statistically significant relationship with the social pillar. Consequently we are not able to confirm the relationship between Volatility and Idiosyncratic Risk with the Social pillar. Regarding Beta, the study found no statistically significant relationship with the ESG-score, as well as for the individual pillars; Environmental, Social and Governance. Therefore we are not able to confirm a relationship for Beta and the ESG-score, ENV, SOC and GOV-scores. As a final remark this study concluded the opposite as for previous research and consequently this thesis has contributed with new knowledge within the area of ESG-rating and risk for Swedish companies.