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Upside and Downside Risks in Momentum Returns

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  • Victoria Dobrynskaya

    (National Research University Higher School of Economics)

Abstract

I provide a novel risk-based explanation for the profitability of momentum strategies. I show that the past winners and the past losers are differently exposed to the upside and downside market risks. Winners systematically have higher relative downside market betas and lower relative upside market betas than losers. As a result, the winner-minus-loser momentum portfolios are exposed to extra downside market risk, but hedge against the upside market risk. Such asymmetry in the upside and downside risks is a mechanical consequence of rebalancing momentum portfolios. But it is unattractive for an investor because both positive relative downside betas and negative relative upside betas carry positive risk premiums according to the Downside-Risk CAPM. Hence, the high returns to momentum strategies are a mere compensation for their upside and downside risks. The Downside Risk-CAPM is a robust unifying explanation of returns to momentum portfolios, constructed for different geographical and asset markets, and it outperforms alternative multi-factor models.

Suggested Citation

  • Victoria Dobrynskaya, 2015. "Upside and Downside Risks in Momentum Returns," HSE Working papers WP BRP 50/FE/2015, National Research University Higher School of Economics.
    • Handle: RePEc:hig:wpaper:50/fe/2015
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    File URL: http://www.hse.ru/data/2015/11/24/1081666297/50FE2015.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jean-Sébastien Fontaine & René Garcia & Sermin Gungor, 2015. "Funding Liquidity, Market Liquidity and the Cross-Section of Stock Returns," Staff Working Papers 15-12, Bank of Canada.
    2. Pastor, Lubos & Stambaugh, Robert F., 2003. "Liquidity Risk and Expected Stock Returns," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 111(3), pages 642-685, June.
    3. Clifford S. Asness & Tobias J. Moskowitz & Lasse Heje Pedersen, 2013. "Value and Momentum Everywhere," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(3), pages 929-985, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Dobrynskaya, Victoria, 2018. "Pricing within and across asset classes," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 25(C), pages 10-15.
    2. Zhenzhen Fan & Juan M. Londono & Xiao Xiao, 2019. "US Equity Tail Risk and Currency Risk Premia," International Finance Discussion Papers 1253, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (U.S.).
    3. Adam Zaremba, 2019. "The Cross Section of Country Equity Returns: A Review of Empirical Literature," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-26, October.
    4. Zaremba, Adam & Long, Huaigang & Karathanasopoulos, Andreas, 2019. "Short-term momentum (almost) everywhere," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    5. Dobrynskaya, Victoria, 2019. "Avoiding momentum crashes: Dynamic momentum and contrarian trading," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    6. Grobys, Klaus & Heinonen, Jari-Pekka & Kolari, James, 2018. "Return dispersion risk in FX and global equity markets: Does it explain currency momentum?," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 56(C), pages 264-280.
    7. Victoria Dobrynskaya, 2017. "Dynamic Momentum and Contrarian Trading," HSE Working papers WP BRP 61/FE/2017, National Research University Higher School of Economics.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    momentum; downside risk; downside beta; upside risk; upside beta; Downside-Risk CAPM;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets

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