The purpose of this study was to develop a new investment strategy called NC-Score. The strategy is based on Chapter 14 of The Intelligent Investor written by Benjamin Graham, but with other key figures and criteria. The key figures were chosen on the basis of creating a varied and comprehensive picture of the companies as possible. They describe the companies' valuation, profitability, growth, cash flows, and capital structure. The strategy was tested between 2011 and 2020 at OMX Stockholm Large Cap. An index and Graham's original strategy have been used to compare NC-Score's performance during the period. The purpose of the index was to emulate the market and act as a minimum requirement for returns. Graham's portfolio gives a picture of how a similar strategy performs under the same conditions. The result for the strategy was a high return at a lower risk than our benchmark index and the original Graham strategy. Between 2011 and 2020, NC-Score generated a return of 191.67% with a Sharpe Ratio of 2.70. During the same period, OMX Stockholm 30 GI generated a return of 110.48% with a Sharpe Ratio of 0.91. NC-Score's results cannot be considered to be significantly positively risk-adjusted since it cannot be ruled out that the higher return in relation to the risk was due to a coincidence. / Syftet med denna studie var att utveckla en ny investeringsstrategi som benämns NC-Score. Strategin utgår ifrån kapitel 14 av The Intelligent Investor skriven av Benjamin Graham, fast med andra nyckeltal och kriterier. Nyckeltalen valdes med utgångspunkt att skapa en varierande och så omfattande bild av bolaget som möjligt. De beskriver bolagens värdering, lönsamhet, tillväxt, kassaflöden samt kapitalstruktur.  Strategin testades mellan 2011 och 2020 på OMX Stockholm Large Cap. Ett index samt Grahams ursprungliga strategi har använts för att jämföra prestationen av NC-Score under tidsperioden. Indexets syfte var att efterlikna marknaden och agera som ett minimikrav för avkastningen. Grahams portfölj ger en bild av hur en liknande strategi presterar under samma förutsättningar. Resultatet för strategin var en hög avkastning till en lägre risk än vårt jämförelseindex samt den ursprungliga Graham strategin. Mellan 2011 till 2020 genererade NC-Score en avkastning på 191,67% med en Sharpe Ratio på 2,70. Under samma period genererade OMX Stockholm 30 GI en avkastning på 110,48% med en Sharpe Ratio på 0,91. NC-Scores resultat kan inte anses vara signifikant positivt riskjusterad, då det inte kan uteslutas att den högre avkastningen i förhållande till risk berott på slumpen.

In this thesis the relationship between regional composition and risk-adjusted performance is evaluated concerning Swedish issued green mutual equity funds. By using three different indices; Sharpe, Jensen and Treynor, a relationship has been able to establish. The study finds no strong relationship between geographic composition and performance concerning any of the indices and thus the impact of diversifying one's portfolio has little impact. By using the Modern Portfolio Theory, Stewardship Theory, Home Bias Theory and Behavioral Finance Theory a theoretical discussion has been established in order to further examine and analyze the fundamental dynamics of this relationship. Lastly, model risk and other variables impact on performance has been investigated. Our study finds a potential model risk since our three indices results disparate. Further, ESG related factors and Morningstar ratings seem to impact performance greater than regional composition.

In recent times, the popularity of hedge funds has undoubtedly increased. There are shared opinions on whether hedge funds generate absolute rates of returns and whether they provide a strong alternative investment to mutual funds. This thesis aims to examine whether hedge funds with different investment strategies create absolute returns and if certain investment strategies outperform others. This thesis compares hedge funds risk-adjusted rate of return towards mutual funds, such as mutual funds, to see if certain investment strategies are more lucrative than the corresponding investments in terms of excess returns to corresponding indices. An econometric approach was applied to search for significant differences in risk-adjusted returns of hedge funds in contrast to mutual funds. Our results show that Swedish hedge funds do not generate as high risk-adjusted returns as Swedish mutual funds. In regard to the best performing hedge fund strategy, the results are inconclusive. Also, we do not find any evidence that hedge funds violate the effective market hypothesis. / Hedgefonder har den senaste tiden ökat i popularitet. Samtidigt finns det delade meningar huruvida hedgefonder genererar absolutavkastning och om de fungerar som bra alternativ till traditionella fonder. Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka huruvida hedgefonder skapar absolutavkastning samt om det finns investeringsstrategier som presterar bättre än andra. Denna uppsats jämför hedgefonders riskjusterade avkastning med traditionella fonder, för att på sätt se om en viss investeringsstrategi ar mer lukrativ i termer av överavkastning i förhållande till motsvarande index. Vi har använt ekonometriska metoder för att söka efter statistiskt signifikanta skillnader mellan avkastningen för hedgefonder och traditionella fonder. Våra resultat visar att svenska hedgefonder inte genererar högre risk-justerade avkastningar än svenska aktiefonder. Våra resultat visar inga signifikanta skillnader vad gäller avkastning mellan olika strategier. Slutligen finner vi heller inga bevis för att hedgefonder går emot den effektiva marknadshypotesen

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.

Bakgrund: En stor andel av de svenska invånarna sparar idag i fonder. De senaste åren har utbudet av fonder ökat allt mer, dels genom antalet fondbolag samt spridningen över olika marknader. Fonder allokerade mot tillväxtmarknader, Emerging Markets samt Frontier Markets, är en av de fondtyper som fått större uppmärksamhet på sistone. På grund av lägre grad av transparens från dessa marknader har investerare inte tillgång till lika mycket finansiell information från tillväxtmarknader, de ses även som mindre effektiva jämfört med de mer utvecklade marknaderna. Tillväxtmarknadsfonder tenderar även att ta ut höga avgifter för förvaltningen. Det för oss vidare till att analysera hur förvaltare av tillväxtmarknadsfonder lyckas med sina investeringar sett till den årliga avgift de tar ut för sin förvaltning. Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att studera hur sambandet ser ut mellan fonders årliga avgifter och den riskjusterade avkastningen hos fonder med full allokering mot tillväxtmarknader kategoriserade inom Emerging Markets samt Frontier Markets. Metod: Genom studien har en deduktiv ansats och en kvantitativ metod tillämpats för att undersöka samband mellan flertalet variabler mot den beroende variabeln, Total Expense Ratio. Vi har hämtat in månadsdata från ett urval av 50 fonder via Thomson Reuters som vi sedan analyserat genom nyckeltal samt regressioner. Slutsats: Studiens resultat tyder på att det finns ett negativt samband mellan fondernas riskjusterade avkastning och dess årliga avgift. Vi ser att fonderna med högre avgift tenderar att resultera i en lägre riskjusterad avkastning. / Background: Today most of the swedes saves in mutual funds. The past few years we have seen an increase in the supply of mutual funds. Funds allocated to Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets has gotten more attention as well. These markets have a lower grade of transparency and has a lack of financial information compared to more developed markets. Studies has shown that they are also less efficient than the developed. Mutual funds in Emerging Markets tends to charge higher fees for their management. These factors make it interesting to analyze how the trustees of the mutual funds succeed in their investments related to the Total Expense Ratio that they charge. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze the relationship between mutual funds’ Total Expense Ratio and their risk adjusted return for funds allocated to Emerging Markets and Frontier Markets. Methodology: The authors have used a deductive approach and a quantitative methodology to fulfill the aim of this study. We have gathered data by observing 50 mutual funds and retrieved the data from Thomson Reuters. We have then analyzed the data by calculating key ratios and by regression analysis. Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is a negative relationship between mutual funds’ total expense ratio and their risk adjusted return. We note that mutual funds with higher expense ratios tends to result in lower risk adjusted return.

Bakgrund: Historiskt har många faktorer spelat roll för investerare vid val av investering, framförallt betydande har varit faktorerna finansiell prestation och finansiella prognoser. Under de senaste åren har en rad nya faktorer tagit mer plats och ESG-faktorer har blivit några av de viktigaste aspekterna, både för investerare och andra intressenter. ESG står för Environmental, Social och Governance och är ett mått på investeringens hållbarhet. Även om det ofta diskuteras om ESG som ett helhetsbetyg, så är det mer sällan man diskuterar varje kriterium var för sig. I denna studie har E, S och G separerats för att undersöka om det är hållbarhet inom ett visst område som är mer gynnsamt än ett annat för att uppnå högst riskjusterad avkastning. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilket kriterium av E, S och G som genererar högst riskjusterad avkastning på OMXSPI. Metod: Studien har en deduktiv forskningsansats och grundas på en kvantitativ undersökningsmetod. All data har inhämtats från Refinitiv Eikon och man har sedan använt statistiska metoder och skapat regressionsanalyser för att undersöka variablernas samband. Variabeln som används för att mäta riskjusterad avkastning är sharpekvoten. Slutsats: Resultatet av denna studie visar att det finns ett statistiskt säkerställt positivt samband mellan betyget för S året 2018 och riskjusterad avkastning. Resterande år och kriterium finns det både positiva och negativa samband, men inget av dessa är signifikanta. / Background: Historically, many factors have played a role for investors when making decisions about an investment, especially significant have been the factors regarding financial performance and financial forecasts. In recent years, a number of new factors have become important, such as ESG factors. Those have become some of the most important aspects, both for investors and other stakeholders. ESG stands for Environmental, Social and Governance and is a measure of the sustainability of an investment. Although ESG often is discussed as an overall rating, it is less common to discuss each criterion separately. In this study, E, S and G have been separated to investigate whether sustainability focus in one specific area is more favorable than another to achieve the highest risk-adjusted return. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate which criterion of E, S and G that generates the highest risk-adjusted return on OMXSPI. Methodology: The study has a deductive research approach and is based on a quantitative research method. All data were obtained from Refinitiv Eikon and statistical methods with regression analysis were created to investigate the relationship of the variables. The variable used to measure risk-adjusted return is the sharpe ratio. Conclusion: The results of this study show that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between the grade for S year 2018 and risk-adjusted return. The remaining years and criteria have both positive and negative relationships, but none of these are significant.

This thesis investigates the relationship between the total expense ratio and the 5-year performance to last month for sustainable mutual funds registered in Sweden and the United States. The increasing amount of mutual funds and the shift towards sustainability in the society gives cause to study the relationship between the total expense ratio and the performance of sustainable mutual funds rather than conventional mutual funds. The analysis was conducted by testing the relationships through different regression models for both the Swedish and the U.S. market. A simple regression model was conducted for both markets to study the relation that the total expense ratio has to the 5-year performance to last month. To further analyse the relation between the two variables, a multiple regression model was conducted for both markets to further analyse the significant relationship between the total expense ratio and the 5-year performance to last month. The data was collected via Eikon and included mutual funds registered in Sweden and the U.S., each mutual fund collected was retrieved together with an ESG score which was the definitive factor whether the mutual fund could be considered as sustainable or not. The results gathered from the simple regression model for the Swedish market was found to have no significant relationship and the explanatory degree for the regression model was very low. The results regarding the simple regression model for the U.S. market are however found to be significant but with a low degree of explanation as well. Hence the result from this study indicates that there is no significant relationship between the total expense ratio and the 5-year performance to last month for the Swedish market when conducting a simple regression model, while the U.S. market has a low significant relationship between the variables. However, a multiple regression model for the Swedish market containing additional control variables presents a significant relationship between the total expense ratio and the 5-year performance to last month. The same results were found for the U.S. market when conducting a multiple regression model. The results for the Swedish simple regression model align with previous studies conducted within this area, where previous studies have found there to be no significant relationship between the total expense ratio and the performance of mutual funds, hence same results are applicable to sustainable mutual funds. However, this study did in fact also display significant relationships for the multiple regression model for the Swedish market as well as for both regression models for the U.S. market. Which indicates that the total expense ratio to some extents have an explanatory relationship between the total expense ratio and the 5-year performance to last month for sustainable mutual funds in both the Swedish market and the U.S. market.

Sustainability has become a major societal trend and interest in sustainable investments has increased among investors. The purpose of this study is to investigate how sustainability affects Swedish funds' returns and risk. Since research on the impact of sustainability on funds focuses mostly on investments outside Sweden, this study has limited itself to Swedish funds to fill the gap in research. The study analyzes 67 Swedish funds during 2015-2019 using various models such as CAPM, Fama-French three-factor model and Sharpe ratio. Furthermore, the funds' sustainability is measured using Morningstar's sustainability rating. Results show no signs of linear regression between sustainability and results from different models and the results of the study are not statistically significant. Thus, the study concludes that it is not sustainability that affects risk and return among the Swedish funds, but there may be other factors that have not been taken into account in this study. However, previous research shows that sustainable funds perform better and are more stable during times of crisis. This study has not examined the Swedish funds during times of crisis, but this may be an interesting topic for future research. / Hållbarhet har blivit en stor samhällstrend och intresset för hållbara investeringar har ökat bland investerare. Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur hållbarhet påverkar Sverigefonders avkastning och risk. Eftersom forskning kring hållbarhetens påverkan på fonder fokuserar mestadels på investeringar utanför Sverige har denna studie avgränsat sig till Sverigefonder för att fylla luckan i forskningen. Studien analyserar 67 Sverigefonder under 2015-2019 med hjälp av olika modeller såsom CAPM, Fama-French trefaktormodell och Sharpekvot. Vidare mäts fondernas hållbarhet med hjälp av Morningstar hållbarhetsbetyg. Resultat visar inga tecken på linjär regression mellan hållbarhet och resultat från olika modeller samt studiens resultat är inte statistiskt signifikanta. Därmed är studiens slutsats att det inte är hållbarhet som påverkar på risk och avkastning bland Sverigefonderna utan det kan vara andra faktorer som inte tagits hänsyn till i denna studie. Däremot visar tidigare forskning att hållbara fonder presterar bättre och är mer stabila under kristider. Denna studie har inte undersökt Sverigefonderna under kristider men detta kan vara ett intressant ämne för framtida forskning.

Studien syftar till att undersöka vilken förvaltningsstrategi som är bäst, fonders prestation genom olika ekonomiska förhållanden samt persistens på den svenska fondmarknaden. Huvudsyftet är att undersöka om fonders föregående prestation kan användas för att förutsäga framtida avkastning. Genom att använda etablerade mått på förvaltningsprestation som Jensens Alfa, Sharpekvoten och Modiglianis riskjusterad prestation (𝑀2) jämförs fonders prestation. För att identifiera persistens jämförs fondernas avkastning med medianavkastning under en specifik period. Genom statistiska tester i form av Oddskvot, Chi-två-test och regressionsanalys fördjupas studien ytterligare. Resultaten från studien visar enskilda fall av persistens, men inga konsekventa mönster kan utläsas för alla fonder. Slutsatsen från studien är att det inte går att slå fast en överlägsen förvaltningsstrategi. Slutsatsen indikerar även att det inte finns några signifikanta indikationer på att det går att förutspå framtida avkastning utifrån föregående tidsperiods avkastning. / The study investigates which management strategy is superior, funds’ performance across different economic conditions and persistence in the Swedish fund market. The main objective is to examine whether past fund performance can be utilized to predict future returns. Through using established performance measures such as Jensen’s Alpha, The Sharpe Ratio and Modigliani’s risk- adjusted performance (𝑀2), we compare fund performance. To identify persistence, funds’ returns are compared with median returns over a specific period. Through statistical tests such as Odds Ratio, Chi-square test and regression analysis, the study is further elaborated. The results of the study reveal isolated instances of persistence, but no consistent patterns can be discerned across all funds. The conclusion drawn from the study is that no superior management strategy can be definitively established. Additionally, the findings suggest no significant indications that past period returns can predict future returns.

The main objective of the study was to determine the exchange rate volatility regime for carry trade profitability when using the South African Rand as the target currency. The study used the Logistic Smooth Transition Regression (LSTR) model to test the uncovered interest rate parity (UIP). The Sharpe ratio and the risk adjusted forward premium were used as the transition variables. The transition variable is a function of the transition function, which is used to determine the regime for the UIP. The LSTR model is characterised by three regimes, i.e. the lower regime, the middle regime and the upper regime. The LSTR model was tested for the short-term forward rate maturity of less than one year. The results show that the UIP hypothesis holds in the middle regime for the Rand/USD and the Rand/GBP when using the Sharpe ratio as the transition variable. Meanwhile, the UIP hypothesis does not hold for the Rand/Yen when using the Sharpe ratio as the transition variable for the forward rate maturity of one month, and it does hold for other short-term forward rate maturity of less than one year. The results for the risk adjusted forward premium as the transition variable show that the UIP hypothesis does not hold for all three currencies at various short-term forward rate maturities of less than one year. The research provides the following contributions to new knowledge: (1) Uncovered interest parity hypothesis holds in the middle regime for all periods for the Rand/USD and the Rand/GBP when using the Sharpe ratio as the transition variable with a short-term forward rate maturity of less than one year. (2) Currency carry trade profit taking for the Rand/USD and the Rand/GBP can be achieved in the upper regime. (3) The results for the Rand/Yen are mixed, in that the UIP hypothesis does not hold for other crisis periods as a result of negative Sharpe ratios. However, for the calm periods, UIP hypothesis holds in the middle regime for the Rand/Yen for short-term forward rate maturity of more than one month but less than one year when using the Sharpe ratio as the transition variable. The overall contribution of this study is that for the South African Rand as the target currency, the UIP hypothesis holds for the short-term horizon when using the Sharpe ratio as the transition variable and that this mostly depends more on currency than on horizon. Contrary to other researchers who found that the UIP holds in the long-term maturity with higher Sharpe ratios in the upper regime, this study proved that the UIP holds in the short-term maturity horizon. / Business Management / D.B.L.