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Detecting Switching Strategies in Equity Hedge Funds

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  • Carol Alexander

    (ICMA Centre, University of Reading)

  • Anca Dimitriu

    (ICMA Centre, University of Reading)

Abstract

Equity hedge funds are thought to effectively operate market timing by implementing switching strategies conditional on market circumstances. In this paper we use only the reported monthly returns on a set of funds to infer the type of switching strategies they follow, if any, as well as their switching times. A set of regime-switching models for each equity hedge funds' returns against various benchmarks are estimated; subsequently we answer the following general questions: What proportion of equity funds seem to have switching strategies in place? Which are the most popular instruments for switching strategies? And what is the relationship between the switching times of different funds? The general methodology applied in this paper may be useful to investors that wish to detect, from only from their reported returns, whether and when a particular fund has been timing the market.

Suggested Citation

  • Carol Alexander & Anca Dimitriu, 2005. "Detecting Switching Strategies in Equity Hedge Funds," ICMA Centre Discussion Papers in Finance icma-dp2005-07, Henley Business School, University of Reading.
    • Handle: RePEc:rdg:icmadp:icma-dp2005-07
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    File URL: http://www.icmacentre.ac.uk/pdf/discussion/DP2005-07.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    2. Celso Brunetti & Jeffrey H. Harris & Bahattin Büyükşahin, 2024. "Crude Oil Price Movements and Institutional Traders," Commodities, MDPI, vol. 3(1), pages 1-23, February.
    3. Anastasios G. Malliaris & Ramaprasad Bhar, 2011. "Dividends, Momentum, and Macroeconomic Variables as Determinants of the US Equity Premium Across Economic Regimes," Review of Behavioral Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 3(1), pages 27-53, April.
    4. Giamouridis, Daniel & Vrontos, Ioannis D., 2007. "Hedge fund portfolio construction: A comparison of static and dynamic approaches," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 199-217, January.
    5. Johannes Hauptmann & Anja Hoppenkamps & Aleksey Min & Franz Ramsauer & Rudi Zagst, 2014. "Forecasting market turbulence using regime-switching models," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 28(2), pages 139-164, May.

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