<p>The aim of this thesis is to study the risk for two Swedish companies, Axfood and Volvo. To test the required return on equity, a bottom-up beta approach and a CAPM regression beta are used. This thesis concludes that the bottom-up beta gives a truer reflection and a more updated beta value than a CAPM regression beta on the firm’s current business mix, the CAPM beta takes only the past stock prices into consideration. The empirical results for Volvo conclude that the levered bottom-up beta is 1.09 and the CAPM β is 0.52 for Volvo. The empirical results for Axfood which is categorized as consumer goods sector implies that the levered bottom-up beta is 0.87 while the CAPM regression beta is 0.29.</p>

Asymmetric information in the management-investor relationship implies that the management’s actions will give signals to investors. According to the signalling hypothesis, an announcement of a share repurchase program is interpreted by investors that the management is putting its money where its mouth is, i.e. signalling that the stock is currently undervalued. Using the event study methodology to analyze share repurchases of listed Swedish real estate companies, we find significant short-term abnormal returns of 1,96% on the announcement day and cumulative abnormal returns of 2,32% (although not significant on conventional levels) for the ten first days subsequent to the announcement. At the most fundamental level of corporate finance theory, the Efficient Market Hypothesis stipulates that the whole value of the announcement should be discounted in the stock price immediately. On the other hand, it might be rational for investors to await certainty that the share repurchase program will be executed, before discounting its full value. We find indications of underreaction as the analysis suggests long-term positive stock price reactions to the announcement. The Jensen’s alpha approach utilized in the long-term analysis suggests an average abnormal return of 10,30%, although insignificant on conventional levels, the year following a share repurchase announcement. From a stock investor point of view, the results from this study suggest that buying real estate stocks that announce share repurchase programs can yield positive abnormal returns for investment horizons of 10 days as well as 12 months.

This study examines whether modern portfolio theory can be used to improve the Magic Formula investment strategy. With the assets picked by the investment strategy we modify the portfolios by weighting the portfolios in accordance with modern portfolio theory. Through the process of creating efficient frontiers and weighting the portfolios differently we create two alternative portfolios each year. One portfolio that aimsfor maximum Sharpe ratio and one that aims for minimum variance. These weighted portfolios produce higher risk-adjusted returns consistently during the examined period of 2010-2020. We conclude that the Magic Formula can be improved by using modern portfolio theory.

Background: This study discusses the phenomenon of luxury goods as investment assets,focusing on luxury watches in particular. The rise of globalization and increased wealth,particularly among the middle and high-income groups in developing countries, hascreated a larger potential customer base for luxury items. This has led to an increasing interest in luxury goods as investment assets, including collectibles such as cars, art, andwine. The recent development of online niche marketplaces for luxury goods has enabledthe systematic collection of data, facilitating research on Veblen goods as alternativeinvestment assets. Therefore, it is interesting to analyze the financial performance ofinvestments in luxury watches as compared to traditional assets. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the comparative performance ofinvesting in luxury watches versus traditional assets such as equities and bonds. Methodology: This study collects data on luxury watch prices and characteristics. Thehedonic pricing method is used to regress the price of the watches on their characteristics.The regression results are used to analyze the price impact of the characteristics, as well asto create a watch price index. In order to evaluate the index performance, data is collectedfor the MSCI World Index and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index. For all the indices, the financial metrics of the Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio, CAPM, and Jensen’s alphaare calculated. Conclusion: This study suggests that luxury watches, with their wide price ranges and high resale value, have been a viable option for portfolio diversification during thestudied five-year period between 2018 and 2023. The watch index yields an averagereturn of 2.01 % and a cumulative return of 49.35 %, outperforming the MSCI World Indexwith average returns of 1.38 % and the Bloomberg U.S. Aggregate Bond Index with -0.01%, and cumulative returns of 31.90 % and -0.15 %, respectively. The watch index alsooutperforms the compared indices in terms of the financial metrics Sharpe ratio, Treynorratio, CAPM, and Jensen’s alpha. The results suggest that the most important valuedrivers for luxury watches are: Brand (Audemars Piguet, Patek Philippe, and VacheronConstantin), Features (Chronograph, tourbillon, and rotating bezel) and Case Material(bronze, rose gold, and yellow gold).

In this thesis we derive various generalizations and refinements of some classical inequalities in different function spaces. We consider some of the most important inequalities namely the Hardy, Pólya-Knopp, Jensen, Minkowski and Beckenbach-Dresher inequalities. The main focus is put on the Hardy and their limit Pólya-Knopp inequalities. Indeed, we derive such inequalities even in a general Banach functionsetting. The thesis consists of three papers (A, B and C) and an introduction, which put these papers into a more general frame. This introduction has also independent interest since it shortly describe the dramatic more than 100 years of development of Hardy-type inequalities. It contains both well-known and very new ideas and results. In paper A we prove and discuss some new Hardy-type inequalities in Banach function space settings. In particular, such a result is proved and applied for a new general Hardy operator, which is introduced in this paper (this operator generalizes the usualHardy kernel operator). These results generalize and unify several classical Hardy-type inequalities. In paper B we prove some new refined Hardy-type inequalities again in Banach function space settings. The used (super quadraticity) technique is also illustrated by making refinements of some generalized forms of the Jensen, Minkowski and Beckenbach-Dresher inequalities. These results both generalize and unify several results of this type. In paper C for the case 0&lt;p≤q&lt;∞ we prove some new Pólya-Knopp inequalities in two and higher dimensions with good two-sided estimates of the sharp constants. By using this result and complementary ideas it is also proved a new multidimensional weighted Pólya-Knopp inequality with sharp constant. / In this thesis we derive various generalizations and refinements of some classical inequalities in different function spaces. We consider some of the most important inequalities namely the Hardy, Pólya-Knopp, Jensen, Minkowski and Beckenbach-Dresher inequalities. The main focus is put on the Hardy and their limit, Pólya-Knopp inequalities. Indeed, we derive such inequalities even in a general Banach function setting.  We prove and discuss some new Hardy-type inequalities in Banach function space settings. In particular, such a result is proved and applied for a new general Hardy operator. These results generalize and unify several classical Hardy-type inequalities. Next, we prove some new refined Hardy-type inequalities again in Banach function space settings. We used superquadraticity technique to prove refinements of some classical inequalities. Finally, for the case 0&lt;p≤q&lt;∞, we prove some new Pólya-Knopp inequalities in two and higher dimensions with good two-sided estimates of the sharp constants. By using this result and complementary ideas it is also proved a new multidimensional weighted Pólya-Knopp inequality with sharp constant.

Bakgrund: Aktiemarknaden har aldrig haft en lägre ingångströskel där internetbaserade plattformar för investeringar har ökat tillgängligheten för både privata och institutionella investerare. Den höga aktiviteten på marknaden, i samspel med diverse finanskriser de senaste decennierna, har inneburit högre volatilitet på marknaden. Denna volatilitet nådde nya höjder under 2020 som innefattades av ett börsras i samband med Covid-19-pandemin, följt av en stark återhämtning med hjälp av global kapitaltillförsel. Året 2020 är på många sätt ett unikt år, inte minst på aktiemarknaden, och samtidigt har frågor och arbete kring hållbarhet fått en hög prioritet under senare år. Det finns därför ett intresse att vidare undersöka ESG och dess påverkan på de svenska bolagens avkastning. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att analysera hur ESG-betyg påverkar noterade svenska bolags aktievärde samt huruvida detta har förändrats till följd av ett turbulent år 2020 i relation till år 2019. Författarna avser även att undersöka huruvida ett relativt högre ESG- betyg är förenligt med högre riskjusterad avkastning och om aktierelaterad prestation avseende branschfördelning är framträdande. Metod: För att uppfylla studiens syfte har en kvantitativ metod med en deduktiv ansats tillämpats. Genomförandet av studien består av en analys av aktiekursutvecklingen för svenska bolag med ett tilldelat ESG-betyg under åren 2019 och 2020. För dessa bolag har det vidare konstruerats portföljer med höga respektive låga ESG-betyg samt avseende branschtillhörighet. En jämförelse utfördes sedan av avkastning, risk samt riskjusterad avkastning. Resultat: Resultatet finner inget signifikant samband mellan ESG-betyg och avkastning för 2019 men ett signifikant svagt negativt samband för 2020. Komparativt mellan portföljerna visade sig bolagen med högt ESG-betyg generera en marginellt högre avkastning och riskjusterad avkastning år 2019. År 2020 hade bolag med lågt ESG-betyg en betydligt högre avkastning och riskjusterad avkastning än bolagen med högt betyg. Diskrepansen på avkastning var stor till fördel för de bolag med låga ESG-betyg, undantaget för branschen Råvaror (Energi) som visade på ett motsatt samband. / Background: The stock market has never had a lower entry threshold where internet-based investment platforms have increased accessibility for both private and institutional investors. The high activity in the stock market, in conjunction with various financial crises in recent decades, have resulted in higher volatility in the market. This volatility reached new heights in 2020, which was accompanied by a stock market crash as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, followed by a strong recovery with the help of global capital injections. 2020 is in many ways a unique year, with no exception for the stock market, while at the same time, sustainability issues have been given a high priority in recent years. Investigating ESG and its impact on Swedish companies' stock returns is therefore of further interest. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze how ESG ratings affect listed Swedish companies' share value and whether this has changed as a result of a turbulent year 2020 in relation to 2019. The authors also intend to investigate whether a relatively higher ESG rating is compatible with higher risk-adjusted return and whether share-related performance in terms of industry distribution is prominent. Methodology: To fulfill the purpose of the study, a quantitative method with a deductive approach has been applied. The implementation of the study consists of an analysis of the share price development for Swedish companies with an assigned ESG rating during the years of 2019 and 2020. For these companies, portfolios with high and low ESG ratings have been constructed, while also regarding industry affiliation. A comparison of return, risk and risk-adjusted return was then performed. Results: The result finds no significant correlation between ESG rating and stock return for 2019 but a significantly weak negative correlation for 2020. Comparatively between the portfolios, the companies with high ESG ratings were found to generate a marginally higher stock return and risk-adjusted return in 2019. In 2020, companies with low ESG rating generated a significantly higher return and risk-adjusted return than companies with high ratings. The discrepancy in stock returns was large in favor of the low ESG ratings, apart from the Raw material (Energy) industry, which had an opposite relationship.

Utifrån den tidigare forskningen har det varit skiljaktigheter angående hur hållbara investeringar presterar i förhållande till avkastning och risk jämfört med konventionella investeringar. Samtidigt har intresset för hållbara investeringarna ökat vilket medför att det finns ett intresse att analysera hur hållbara investeringar förhåller sig inom avkastning och risk.Denna studie avser att beskriva och analysera hur hållbara aktiefonder förhåller sig i avkastning och risk jämfört med konventionella aktiefonder. Vidare studeras om det råder ett samband mellan hållbarhet och avkastning. I denna kvantitativa studie analyseras den svenska och irländska aktiefondmarknaden under 2016–2022 med totalt 310 slumpmässigt valda aktiefonder, både hållbara och konventionella, med måttet Jensens Alpha. Studiens resultat visade att ett statistiskt signifikant samband mellan hållbarhet och avkastning inte kan fastställas. Följaktligen visade det ingen statistisk signifikant skillnad i avkastning för det svenska aktiefonderna medan irländska hållbara aktiefonder hade en statistisk signifikant lägre avkastning jämfört med de konventionella motsvarigheterna. Vidare visade irländska hållbaraaktiefonder en lägre risk medan svenska hållbara aktiefonder innehade en högre risk jämfört med marknadernas konventionella aktiefonder. / There have been conflicting results from previous research regarding sustainable investing and its financial return compared to regular investment alternatives. Simultaneously, the trend towards sustainable investing has grown significantly in recent times, prompting a keen interest in understanding the effect of sustainable investing on investors, specifically in terms of returns and risks. This study aims to provide insights into sustainable investments in equity funds, specifically in terms of returns and risks, when compared to conventional equity funds. Using Jensen's Alpha methodology, a quantitative study was conducted on 310 randomly selectedequity funds, from both sustainable and conventional categories in Sweden and Ireland during the period of 2016-2022. The main findings showed that there is no strong statistical correlation between sustainability and financial returns. Furthermore, the study revealed that there was no statistically significant difference in returns for Swedish equity funds, whereas Irish sustainable equity funds exhibited statistically significantly lower returns in comparison to their conventional counterparts. Regarding risk, the study demonstrates that Irish sustainable equity funds carried lower risk, while Swedish sustainable equity funds performed with a higher risk when compared to their conventional counterparts.

För att investerare ska placera kapital mot hållbara investeringar krävs insikt om det finns en premie som valet av hållbara aktiefonder innebär eller om dessa motsvarar eller till och med överavkastar mot konventionella fonder. I denna uppsats undersöker vi hur den riskjusterade avkastningen, mätt som Jensens alpha, ser ut för hållbara och konventionella fonder. Studien undersökte 51 aktiefonder med hemvist i Sverige för åren 2017-2021 där datan samlades in från Avanza och hållbarhetsbetyg från Morningstar användes för klassificering av konventionella respektive hållbara fonder. Resultaten pekar på att hållbara aktiefonder har en riskjusterad avkastning som är 0,2 procentenheter högre än konventionella aktiefonder över hela tidsramen. Studien undersökte även förhållandet mellan riskjusterad avkastning och förvaltningsavgiften och fann ett marginellt positivt samband utifrån en regressionsanalys. Studien bidrar till forskningsområdet genom att närmare undersöka ett individuellt land till skillnad från tidigare studier och på senare årtal vilket ger en mer nutida förståelse för hållbara och konventionella aktiefonder på den svenska fondmarknaden. / For investors looking at placing their capital in sustainable equity funds, there is a need for knowledge as to how sustainable funds compare to their conventional peers. Do they demand a premium, have the same returns or even outperform? In this paper we look at the risk adjusted return, Jensen's alpha, on the Swedish fund market between the year 2017-2021 and how sustainable funds compare to conventional ones. The results indicate that sustainable funds outperform conventional funds with 0,2 percentage points over the entire time frame. The study also examined the relationship between fund fees and risk adjusted returns and found a marginal positive relationship from a regression analysis. The study contributes to the scientific field by closer examining a single country for a later time frame, giving a more contemporary understanding of sustainable and conventional funds on the Swedish fund market.

隨著我國壽險業資產比率快速增加，投資績效不但影響眾多保戶的權益，更影響整體經濟之安定，但面臨現今全球金融和經濟環境劇烈動盪，加上壽險同業間激烈競爭的情況，我國壽險公司如何訂定投資策略做好資產配置，對壽險公司的營運健全而言相當重要。現行保險法第一百四十六條限制壽險公司的投資上限，但法令限制對壽險公司資產配置的影響為何，本研究將透過Markowitz的平均數－變異數投資組合模式對我國整體壽險業及國泰人壽、南山人壽、新光人壽及富邦人壽探討之；並以夏普指數、崔納指數及詹森指數，評估上述四家壽險公司之資金運用績效；另藉由分析壽險業之資金成本是否低於實際投資率，以達成研究壽險業長期資產配置之穩健度。 本研究主要結論如下：1.運用Markowitz 投資組合模型所推導出的效率前緣，以最大Sharpe Measure評估，不受法令限制下所建立之最佳投資組合，較有受法令限制下所建立之最佳投資組合的期望報酬率高，且分散風險的效果較佳。2.整體壽險業及前四大壽險公司之實際投資報酬率皆低於其實際投資組合之期望報酬，顯示壽險業於資金運用的靈活度及績效性有改善的空間。3.以績效評估指標求出前四大壽險公司的資金運用績效，發現新光人壽在此三項評估指標皆位居最後；國泰人壽在評估中皆名列前茅。4.新光人壽的平均實際報酬率低於平均資金成本，應控管好資金成本並加強投資組合之績效；富邦人壽平均實際報酬率高過平均資金成本最多，顯示富邦人壽在資金成本控管及投資績效有良好之表現。整體壽險業的實際報酬率亦高於平均資金成本，顯示我國壽險業於營運狀況正常。 / With the life insurance companies’ assets ratio rapidly increasing, the investment performances affect not only the right of a number of policy holders, but also affect the economic stability. However, facing the dynamic global financial and economic environment and the keen competition in the domestic life insurance industry, the life insurance companies need to adopt the proper investment strategy. Law of Insurance 146th p restricts the investment upper limit of the life insurance company. This research will use Markowitz MV model to discuss the influence of this investment restriction on life insurance companies’ asset allocation by the samples of Life industry, Cathay Life Insurance, Nan Shan Life Insurance, Shin Kong Life Insurance, and Fubon Life Insurance, and evaluate the performances of these four life insurance companies by Sharpe ratio, Treynor ratio, and Jensen’s measure. This research also analyze the cost of capital and real rate of return of these companies to examine the stability of life insurance industry’s long term asset allocation. The conclusions of this research are as follows: 1.Evaluated by the Markowitz efficient frontier and the Sharpe measure, there is the higher expected rate of return and better diversification with no investment restriction. 2.The actual rates of return of the life insurance industry and the above four life insurance companies are below the expected rates of returns of their portfolio evaluated be the Sharpe measure, which means the life insurance industry need to prove their capital allocation. 3. Comparing the performance of the life insurance companies by the performance indicator, we find the then Shin Kong Life Insurance is the last, while Cathay Life Insurance has a good score. 4. We also find the real rate of return of Shin Kong Life Insurance is lower than its cost of capital, which means Shin Kong Life Insurance need to adjust its cost of capital and the investment performance. Meanwhile, Fubon Life Insurance is the excellent in controlling the cost of capital and investment. The real rate of return of the Life insurance industry is higher than its cost of capital, and that shows the Life insurance industry has normal operation.

Bakgrund: Denna studie är ett test av investeringsstrategi baserad på relativvärdering av multiplar. Den multipel som kommer att studeras som investeringsstrategi är Price-to-Book (P/B). Valet av multipel på P/B beror på att det är en väl omskriven multipel som fortfarande väcker frågeställningar avseende betydelsen av bokfört värde i kombination med marknadsvärde. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka och analysera multipeln P/B som investeringsstrategi för aktier. Vidare syftar studien till att undersöka aktier med låga respektive höga P/B från de olika börslistorna Small, Mid och Large Cap på Stockholmsbörsen. Genomförande: Sex portföljer skapas baserat på låga respektive höga P/B från de marknadsvärdemässiga börslistorna Small, Mid och Large Cap på Stockholmsbörsen. Portföljerna ombalanseras årligen och följs mellan 2006 och 2016. Resultat: Fyra av sex portföljer har högre ackumulerad avkastning än jämförelseindex före och efter riskjustering. Dock hindrar svag statistisk evidens påvisande av överavkastning över tid. På motsvarande vis finnes svaga säkerställda skillnader i avkastning mellan låga och höga P/B. Ej heller förefaller det förekomma signifikanta skillnader i avkastning och risk mellan portföljer på Small, Mid och Large Cap. / Background: This study is a test of an investment strategy based on relative valuation of multiples. The multiple to be studied is Price-to-Book (P/B). P/B is chosen because although previously researched, the implications of book values paired with market values are still not well understood. Aim: The aim of this study is to examine and analyze the multiple P/B as an investment strategy for stocks. Moreover, this study intends to examine stocks with low and high P/B: s from the Small, Mid and Large Cap on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. Completion: Six portfolios are created based on low and high P/B: s respectively from the market value-based stock exchange lists Small, Mid and Large Cap on the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The portfolios are rebalanced annually and are followed between 2006 and 2016. Results: Four out of six portfolios exhibit higher levels of cumulative returns than the chosen stock index before and after adjusting for risk. However, weak statistical evidence prevent conclusive showings of excess returns over time. Similarly, we find weak support for differences in returns between low and high P/B: s. Neither does there seem to exist significant differences in return and risk between the Small, Mid and Large Cap.