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Exploring the merits of five-factor investing: A critical literature review

Author

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  • Samuel Tabot Enow

    (Research Associate, The IIE VEGA School)

Abstract

The dynamics of investing in stock markets have changed considerably over the past twenty years. The value and growth investing concept has drawn much attention and continues to dominate portfolio management. Factor investing is an approach that aims at quantifying particular characteristics through matrixes of quality, value, momentum, and growth to improve the returns of a portfolio. Although the three-factor style of investing has gained widespread acceptance, the five-factor continues to be a source of disagreement among academics and industry practitioners. This study aimed to review the merits of five-factor investing critically. A critical literature review was used to review prior literature. The narratives from the literature reveal that the five-factor investing style will result in multiple sources of expected return. Hence, using five factors in portfolio formation has merits and will significantly improve the returns and most likely outperform the market portfolio. Factor premiums have proven to be drivers of asset return. Therefore, market participants and investment managers can intentionally assume additional exposures to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns compared to the market with the five-factor investing style. According to the author's knowledge, this is the first study to objectively analyze the literature on five-factor investing and propose that active managers can earn positive alphas on a risk-adjusted basis through factor exposures. Key Words:Five factor investing, portfolio management, Index investing, Stock Returns, Efficient market hypothesis

Suggested Citation

  • Samuel Tabot Enow, 2023. "Exploring the merits of five-factor investing: A critical literature review," International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), Center for the Strategic Studies in Business and Finance, vol. 12(3), pages 613-618, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:rbs:ijbrss:v:12:y:2023:i:3:p:613-618
    DOI: 10.20525/ijrbs.v12i3.2482
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Carhart, Mark M, 1997. "On Persistence in Mutual Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 52(1), pages 57-82, March.
    2. Fama, Eugene F & French, Kenneth R, 1992. "The Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 47(2), pages 427-465, June.
    3. Samuel Tabot Enow, 2021. "The Impact of Covid-19 on Market Efficiency: A Comparative Market Analysis," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 9(4), pages 235-244.
    4. Samuel Tabot Enow, 2022. "Price Clustering in International Financial Markets during the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Implications," Eurasian Journal of Economics and Finance, Eurasian Publications, vol. 10(2), pages 46-53.
    5. Nazaire, Gregory & Pacurar, Maria & Sy, Oumar, 2021. "Factor Investing and Risk Management: Is Smart-Beta Diversification Smart?," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    6. Wenting Jiao & Lilti Jean-Jacques, 2017. "Whether profitability and investment factors have additional explanatory power compared with Fama-French three-factor model: Empirical evidence on Chinese A-share stock market," China Finance and Economic Review, De Gruyter, vol. 6(2), pages 3-22, June.
    7. Fama, Eugene F. & French, Kenneth R., 2015. "A five-factor asset pricing model," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 1-22.
    8. David Blitz & Guido Baltussen & Pim van Vliet, 2020. "When Equity Factors Drop Their Shorts," Financial Analysts Journal, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 76(4), pages 73-99, October.
    9. Philipp Dirkx & Franziska J. Peter, 2020. "The Fama-French Five-Factor Model Plus Momentum: Evidence for the German Market," Schmalenbach Business Review, Springer;Schmalenbach-Gesellschaft, vol. 72(4), pages 661-684, October.
    10. Wenting Jiao & Jean-Jacques Lilti, 2017. "Whether profitability and investment factors have additional explanatory power comparing with Fama-French Three-Factor Model: empirical evidence on Chinese A-share stock market," China Finance and Economic Review, Springer, vol. 5(1), pages 1-19, December.
    11. William F. Sharpe, 1964. "Capital Asset Prices: A Theory Of Market Equilibrium Under Conditions Of Risk," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 19(3), pages 425-442, September.
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    1. Lu, Chia-Wu & Wu, Hsueh-Ling & Su, Yu-Hsuan, 2024. "The icing on the cake: ESG effect on the quality factor portfolios," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).

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