Research and publications

A Long Road Ahead for Portfolio Construction: Practitioners' Views of an EDHEC Survey

The EDHEC European Investment Practices Survey 2008 (EDHEC 2008) sheds light on current practices in the industry and compares these practices with the recent state of the art as described in the investment literature. The results of the survey show that the industry does not fully exploit a number of proven portfolio optimisation techniques that research has made readily available, such as management of extreme risks, improved covariance estimation or Bayesian and resampling techniques. We called for reactions to these results; the objective was to get feedback from the European industry on the results of the survey. This feedback seems important to us for two reasons. First, we would like to know how the results of the survey and their usefulness are perceived by industry practitioners. Second, we are interested in explanations and perspective on our results.

Author(s):

Felix Goltz

Summary:

The EDHEC European Investment Practices Survey 2008 (EDHEC 2008) sheds light on current practices in the industry and compares these practices with the recent state of the art as described in the investment literature. The results of the survey show that the industry does not fully exploit a number of proven portfolio optimisation techniques that research has made readily available, such as management of extreme risks, improved covariance estimation or Bayesian and resampling techniques. We called for reactions to these results; the objective was to get feedback from the European industry on the results of the survey. This feedback seems important to us for two reasons. First, we would like to know how the results of the survey and their usefulness are perceived by industry practitioners. Second, we are interested in explanations and perspective on our results.

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Type :	EDHEC Publication
Date :	26/01/2009
Keywords :	Asset Management

About EDHEC

Operating from campuses in Lille, Nice, Paris, London and Singapore, EDHEC is one of the world’s top 15 business schools. Fully international and directly connected to the business world, EDHEC commands a strong reputation for research excellence and the ability to train entrepreneurs and managers capable of breaking new ground. EDHEC functions as a genuine laboratory of ideas and produces innovative solutions valued by businesses. The School’s teaching is inspired by its research work and a focus on “learning by doing”, all with the aim of equipping people with the skills to succeed in business.

About EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute

Marking the priority assigned by the School to sustainability issues and building on its research programmes exploring the relationships between climate change and finance, EDHEC-Risk Institute became EDHEC-Risk Climate Impact Institute in October 2022. The Institute's mission is to help private and public decision-makers manage climate-related financial risks and make the best use of the financial tools available to transition to low-emission and climate-resilient economies. The Institute’s research programmes explore the relationships between climate change and finance and our key ambition is to become a leading academic reference point for long-term investors, helping them to manage the asset-pricing implications of climate change as well as mitigation and adaptation efforts.