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The economic value of predictability in portfolio management

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  • Andrea Buraschi
  • Andrea Carnelli

Abstract

This paper evaluates the evidence on return predictability from an economic perspective: it asks whether investors would have been able and willing to exploit dividend price signals in order to allocate capital efficiently. We use a simple model that incorporates a time varying investment opportunity set into a mean-variance portfolio maximization framework, and derive the optimal capital allocation weights for: (i) a naive strategy based on average realized returns; and (ii) a class of strategies that condition on dividend-price signals. While our data supports in-sample evidence of return predictability, the out-of-sample returns of the naive strategy are higher than those of all conditional portfolio specifications based on a certainty equivalent metric and portfolio turnover. The degree of underperformance is most dramatic in the last three decades: an investor who had used dividend-price ratios as signals for capital allocation in the period 1990-2012 would have consistently generated lower returns than by following a naive strategy. These results suggest that dividend-price predictability offers no economic value to investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Buraschi & Andrea Carnelli, 2013. "The economic value of predictability in portfolio management," Journal of Financial Management, Markets and Institutions, Società editrice il Mulino, issue 1, pages 5-22, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:mul:jdp901:doi:10.12831/73630:y:2013:i:1:p:5-22
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Equity Premium; Stock Returns; Dividend Yield; Out-of-Sample Prediction; Portfolio Choice (JEL Codes: G11; G14; G17);
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading

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