This paper evaluates the ability of single and multi-ratio investment strategies, such as P/E, P/B, Magic Formula and Piotroski F-score, to generate excess returns and positive alpha values on the Stockholm Stock Market. Performances of the strategies tested are compared to the Stockholm Stock Market as a whole, also known as the index “OMXSPI”. In this paper, three single-ratio strategies are investigated along with three multi-ratio strategies, chosen on the basis of popularity among private investors, according to our observations. We also compare these strategies’ returns to the returns of the ten best performing funds, over the last ten years, found on SEB’s and Handelsbanken’s fund lists. We find that both multi and single-ratio strategies generated alpha values and that single-ratio strategies performed well, relative to multi-ratio strategies, considering their simplicity. The current portfolio composition from screening stocks based on low P/E, P/B and high dividend yield alone are also associated with less risk, expressed in volatility, than portfolios that would be composed based on the multi-ratio methods. We even find that one of the more complex strategies, Graham Screener, underperformed single-ratio strategies, when comparing yearly alpha values over 15 and 17 years, respectively. The funds’ alpha values are also very poor compared to both single and multi-ratio strategies considering the managers’ likely investment experience and complex investment systems. In sum, our empirical data suggests that excess returns were indeed attainable during the investigated time-periods by following a rule-based investing philosophy in conjunction with single or multi-ratio strategies, and unless the investor has sublime experience and knowledge, he or she is probably better off using this type of investing rather than making investment decisions in a discretionary manner.We also conclude that the Stockholm Stock Market probably suffered from lower market efficiency, from the perspective of the Efficient Market Hypothesis, and lower screening abilities and tools, such as Börsdata, among investors in the beginning of the testing periods, which could be one reason as to why these ratio strategies worked as well as they did. However, the results are still interesting because complexity does not seem to imply value (extra alpha generation) of significant magnitude, if at all. What does seem to imply value, are the minimization of human interactions with investment models and emotional stability.

Optimal portfolios have historically been computed using standard deviation as a risk measure.However, extreme market events have become the rule rather than the exception. To capturetail risk, investors have started to look for alternative risk measures such as Value-at-Risk andConditional Value-at-Risk. This research analyzes the financial model referred to as Markowitz 2.0 and provides historical context and perspective to the model and makes a mathematicalformulation. Moreover, practical implementation is presented and an optimizer that capturesthe risk of non-extreme events is constructed, which meets the needs of more customized investment decisions, based on investment preferences. Optimal portfolios are generated and anefficient frontier is made. The results obtained are then compared with those obtained throughthe mean-variance optimization framework. As concluded from the data, the optimal portfoliowith the optimal weights generated performs better regarding expected portfolio return relativeto the risk level for the investment.

This thesis explores the integration of sustainability into Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) optimization by introducing stepwise filtration and optimization. This study acknowledges the growing importance of sustainability in investment strategies and modifies the traditional MPT framework to include environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors. A systematic filtration process is conducted where each asset undergoes a step-by-step filtration based on different ESG criteria. For each filtration step, portfolio optimization is performed to find the most efficient portfolios under the filtered criteria. The effect of each filtration on portfolio risk and return profile provides insights into the trade-offs between financial performance and sustainability impacts. The findings indicate that investors considering the ethical aspects of ESG can achieve these goals without significantly affecting the portfolio risk and return. However, investors incorporating all aspects of ESG will experience a higher drop in the efficient frontier. Moreover, while investigating an additional index, including more companies, investors can attain a better portfolio profile while incorporating all aspects of ESG. A central ambition of this study has been enlighten investors regarding the different aspects of ESG and the trade-offs of integrating sustainability into investment practices. Thus, this study seeks to refine the investor decision-making process and encourage investors to make more informed sustainable decisions. / Detta examensarbete undersöker hur hållbarhet kan integreras i Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) genom att introducera en stegvis filtrering och optimering. Denna studie framhäver den växande betydelsen av hållbarhet inom investeringsstrategier och modifierar det tradionella ramverket för MPT för att inkludera miljön, socialt ansvar och bolagsstyrning (ESG). En systematisk filtreringsprocess genomförs där varje tillgång genomför en iterativ filtrering baserad på ESG-kriterier. För varje filtreringssteg utförs portföljdoptimering för att hitta de mest effektiva portföljerna under den filtrerade kriterierna. Denna process ger insikt i avvägningarna mellan finansiell avkastning och hållbarhetseffekter. Resultaten indikerar att investerare som beaktar de etiska aspekter kan uppnå dessa mål utan att nämnvärt påverka portföljens risk och avkastningsprofil. Dock, investerare som beaktar samtliga aspekter av ESG kommer att uppleva en större minskning av den effektiva fronten. Dessutom kan investerare, genom utforskning av ett kompletterande index som innefattar ett större urval av företag, uppnå en förbättrad portföljprofiler samtidigt som alla ESG-aspekter beaktas. En central ambition för denna studie har varit att upplysa investerare om de olika aspekterna av ESG och avvägningarna med att integrera hållbarhet i investeringspraxis. Således, strävar denna studie efter att förbättra investerarnas beslutprocess och uppmuntra investerare till att fatta med informerade hållbara beslut.

The Covid-19 pandemic influenced the world with quarantines, travel bans, social distancing, and much more. Most remarkably, it brought the economy to a steep recession with changes in customer behavior and shocks to the financial markets. Combined with this, sustainable and green investing have grown in importance for firms that aim to incorporate sustainable practices in their businesses. This thesis evaluates the relationship between ESG and financial performance for Swedish issued mutual funds in the periods before, during, and after the covid pandemic. To capture the returns this study uses the Sharpe ratio, which penalizes volatility in the turns of funds and outputs risk-adjusted returns. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance of integrating non-financial metrics into portfolio management. The results found evidence that there is a difference in the performance between the two fund portfolios. Furthermore, this study will investigate the impact ESG variables have on the risk-adjusted rate of return. The results were that there is no compelling evidence of ESG variables impacting the returns. Moreover, significant insights from this study can be made to the Modern Portfolio Theory and Stakeholder Theory. By using Modern Portfolio Theory as the governing theory, a theoretical discussion has been made about the relationship between green investments and financial performance in times of sound economic markets and under financial crisis. This study is a quantitative study that has adopted the deduction approach. The authors of this thesis have retrieved 2 different portfolios, ESG and non-ESG, and compared the two groups against each other. 3 different periods have also been identified in the thesis: pre, during, and post Covid. The performance of the two portfolios has been examined during the three different stages to see how they have performed with hopes of finding empirical evidence that investing in ESG practices really is profitable. Statistical models such as OLS, heteroskedasticity, and more have been used in the study with the aim of helping the authors reach a conclusion.

The recent global financial crisis, regulatory and compliance requirements placed on organisations, and the need for scientific research in the project portfolio management discipline were factors that motivated this research. The interest and contribution to the body of knowledge in project portfolio management has been growing significantly in recent years, however, there still appears to be a misalignment between literature and practice. A particular area of concern is the decision-making, during the management of the portfolio, regarding which projects to accelerate, suspend, or terminate. A lack of determining the individual and cumulative contribution of projects to strategic objectives leads to poorly informed decisions that negate the positive effect that project portfolio management could have in an organisation. The focus of this research is, therefore, aimed at providing a mechanism to determine the individual and cumulative contribution of projects to strategic objectives so that the right decisions can be made regarding those projects. This thesis begins with providing a context for project portfolio management by confirming a definition and providing a theoretical background through related theories. An investigation into the practice of project portfolio management then provides insight into the alignment between literature and practice and confirms the problem that needed to be addressed. A conceptual model provides a solution to the problem of determining the individual and cumulative contribution of projects to strategic objectives. The researcher illustrates how the model can be extended before verifying and validating the conceptual model. Having the ability to determine the contributions of projects to strategic objectives affords decision makers the opportunity to conduct what-if scenarios, enabled through the use of dashboards as a visualization technique, in order to test the impact of their decisions before committing them. This ensures that the right decisions regarding the project portfolio are made and that the maximum benefit regarding the strategic objectives is achieved. This research provides the mechanism to enable better-informed decision- making regarding the project portfolio. / Computing / D. Phil. (Computer science)

The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility of constructing optimal portfolios using the Johannesburg Securities Exchange tradable sector indices. Three indices were employed, namely Financials, Industrials and Resources and were benchmarked against the JSE All Share Index for the period January 2007 to December 2017. The period was split into three, namely before the 2007-2009 global financial crises, during the global financial crises and after the global financial crises. The Markowitz’s mean-variance optimisation framework was employed for the construction of global mean variance portfolios. The results of this study showed that it was feasible to construct mean-variance efficient portfolios using tradable sector indices from the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. It was also established that, on the other hand, global mean variance portfolios constructed in this study, outperformed the benchmark index in a bullish market in terms of the risk-return combinations. On the other hand, in bear markets, the global mean variance portfolios were observed to perform better than the benchmark index in terms of risk. Further, the results of the study showed that portfolios constructed from the three tradable indices yielded diversification benefits despite their positive correlation with each other. The results of the study corroborate the findings by other scholars that the mean-variance optimisation framework is effective in the construction of optimal portfolios using the Johannesburg Securities Exchange. The study also demonstrated that Markowitz’s mean-variance framework could be applied by investors faced with a plethora of investment choices to construct efficient portfolios utilising the Johannesburg Securities Exchange tradable sector indices to achieve returns commensurate with their risk preferences. / Business Management / M. Com. (Business Management)

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-25T16:44:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao Paulo de Sa Pereira.pdf: 641021 bytes, checksum: 5b48d843ebfe14352bac73bfbea9cc00 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-05-22 / The objective of this dissertation is a comparative analysis of investing in stock in Brazil compared to investing in government bonds and other reserve securities type of assets, aiming at deciding whether the incurred risk in stock has been rewarded by an increased return compared to investing in more conservative assets. The covered period of analysis is from March 1986 to December 2005. The analysis was made based on Modern Portfolio Theory and the studies were carried out on secondary data on the main financial assets and indicators, namely: the Bovespa index, the Selic rate, Gold, Dollar, Savings Accounts and one inflation indicator, the General Price Index IGP. In order to enhance the comprehension of the subject, throughout the dissertation, the history of the Stock Exchange, the economic environment of the respective economic plans, analysis of the result and a conclusion has been included. Various performed studies points to the fact that investing in stocks, represented by the Bovespa index, and when compared to fixed interest in this case, government securities remunerated according to the Selic had a lower return in spite of the greater risk / O objetivo deste trabalho é a análise dos investimentos em ações no Brasil, comparativamente a investimentos em títulos federais e outros ativos típicos de reserva de valor, procurando estabelecer se o adicional de risco incorrido em ações foi recompensado pelo aumento do retorno quando comparado a ativos mais conservadores. O período de análise está compreendido entre março de 1986 e dezembro de 2005. A fundamentação teórica foi conduzida com base na Moderna Teoria de Portfólios e os estudos foram desenvolvidos com base em dados secundários sobre os principais ativos financeiros e indicadores, a saber: Índice Bovespa, taxa Selic, Ouro, Dólar, Caderneta de Poupança e um indicador de inflação, o Índice Geral de Preços IGP. Para melhor compreensão desse tema, no decorrer desta dissertação, também, foram abordados a história das Bolsas de Valores, o ambiente econômico vigente nos diversos planos econômicos, a análise dos resultados e apresentada a conclusão. Os diversos estudos realizados indicaram que o investimento em ações, representado pelo Índice Bovespa, quando comparado ao de renda fixa no caso, o título público remunerado pela taxa Selic apesar de maior risco, apresentou um retorno inferior ao longo do período pesquisado

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.

Previous research has confirmed the existence of a value premium in a wide array of markets and using this value stock anomaly has yielded superior performance. This thesis investigates if one could take advantage of the existence of a value premium to deploy a dynamic investment strategy on the Swedish stock market (OMXS30) with focus on minimizing risk to achieve higher risk adjusted performance than the stock market index. The investment strategy implemented use Market-to-Book-Value to screen for both entry and exit signals and Modern Portfolio Theory, using the minimum-variance portfolio with short-selling constraints, to allocate assets within the portfolio. The investment strategy is evaluated using the Modigliani-Modigliani Risk Adjusted Performance measure. Conclusions from the thesis are that the strategy does outperform the Swedish stock market index, both in terms of nominal return and risk-adjusted performance. The suboptimal behaviour of investors where they overreact  to signals and unconsciously rely on heuristics is used to explain why this is possible. Market-to-Book-Value, using the first quartile as entry signal and third quartile as exit signal, is considered to be a successful key ratio to screen for value stocks.

L'obiettivo della ricerca è evidenziare se l'investimento in beni non finanziari è preso in considerazione dalle private banks operanti in Italia nella costruzione dei portafogli dei loro clienti facoltosi, se nel processo di ottimizzazione siano seguite le logiche della modern portfolio theory e quali modalità vengono adottate nella fase di presentazione delle performance. si procede quindi ad esaminare gli investimenti in oro, in arte, in diamanti, in vino e in immobili per verificarne gli impatti sulla rischiosità e sulle performance di portafoglio. / The goal of this thesis is to verify if private banks that operate in Italy use goods as investment for diversifying HNW or U-HNW individuals portfolio, if they take in consideration the modern portfolio theory for asset allocation and how performances are presented to investors. So it analyses the investment as gold, real estate, art, diamond and wine to achieve the impact of them on portfolio risk and performance.