IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ysm/somwrk/ysm371.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

An Economic Measure of Diversification Benefits

Author

Listed:
  • Lingfeng Li

Abstract

In this paper, we develop a utility based economic measure for diversification benefits, calculated as the maximum premium that an investor is willing to pay for holding a more diversified portfolio. The utility based economic measure allows one to evaluate the expansion of the investment opportunity set by combining the information in both risk and return properties. It also offers a flexible framework to examine how investors with different tolerances for risk may respond to the expansion of the investment opportunity set by combining the information in both risk and return properties. It also offers a flexible framework to examine how investors with different tolerances for risk may respond to the expansion of the investment opportunity set. This measure is contrasted with the results of mean-variance spanning tests. Empirical analysis shows that investors enjoy substantial diversification benefits by adding emerging stock markets and major bond markets to the existing portfolio of G7 stock markets. Investors' risk tolerance affects their evaluation of new assets. Short-sale constraints reduce, but do not eliminate, diversificaton benefits.

Suggested Citation

  • Lingfeng Li, 2003. "An Economic Measure of Diversification Benefits," Yale School of Management Working Papers ysm371, Yale School of Management, revised 01 Jul 2003.
    • Handle: RePEc:ysm:somwrk:ysm371
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://icfpub.som.yale.edu/publications/2459
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Raymond Kan & Guofu Zhou, 2012. "Tests of Mean-Variance Spanning," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 13(1), pages 139-187, May.
    2. Harvey, Campbell R, 1995. "Predictable Risk and Returns in Emerging Markets," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(3), pages 773-816.
    3. Huberman, Gur & Kandel, Shmuel, 1987. "Mean-Variance Spanning," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 42(4), pages 873-888, September.
    4. Hansen, Lars Peter & Jagannathan, Ravi, 1991. "Implications of Security Market Data for Models of Dynamic Economies," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 99(2), pages 225-262, April.
    5. Bekaert, Geert & Harvey, Campbell R, 1995. "Time-Varying World Market Integration," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 50(2), pages 403-444, June.
    6. William N. Goetzmann & Lingfeng Li & K. Geert Rouwenhorst, 2005. "Long-Term Global Market Correlations," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 78(1), pages 1-38, January.
    7. Pastor, Lubos & Stambaugh, Robert F., 2000. "Comparing asset pricing models: an investment perspective," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 56(3), pages 335-381, June.
    8. Ferson, Wayne E & Foerster, Stephen R & Keim, Donald B, 1993. "General Tests of Latent Variable Models and Mean-Variance Spanning," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 48(1), pages 131-156, March.
    9. Chen, Zhiwu & Knez, Peter J, 1995. "Measurement of Market Integration and Arbitrage," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(2), pages 287-325.
    10. Wang, Zhenyu, 1998. "Efficiency loss and constraints on portfolio holdings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 359-375, June.
    11. Baxter, Marianne & Jermann, Urban J, 1997. "The International Diversification Puzzle Is Worse Than You Think," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 87(1), pages 170-180, March.
    12. Sharpe, William F, 1991. "Capital Asset Prices with and without Negative Holdings," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(2), pages 489-509, June.
    13. Campbell, John Y. & Viceira, Luis M., 2002. "Strategic Asset Allocation: Portfolio Choice for Long-Term Investors," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780198296942.
    14. de Roon, F.A. & Nijman, T.E. & Werker, B.J.M., 1998. "Testing for mean-variance spanning with short sales constraints and transaction costs : The case of emerging markets," Discussion Paper 1998-07, Tilburg University, Center for Economic Research.
    15. Snow, Karl N, 1991. "Diagnosing Asset Pricing Models Using the Distribution of Asset Returns," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 46(3), pages 955-983, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Fletcher, Jonathan & Marshall, Andrew, 2005. "An empirical examination of the benefits of international diversification," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 455-468, December.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Peñaranda, Francisco & Sentana, Enrique, 2012. "Spanning tests in return and stochastic discount factor mean–variance frontiers: A unifying approach," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 170(2), pages 303-324.
    2. Nijman, T.E. & de Roon, F.A., 2001. "Testing for mean-variance spanning : A survey," Other publications TiSEM 0159f80a-c61b-4519-b004-a, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    3. Kroencke, Tim A. & Schindler, Felix, 2012. "International diversification with securitized real estate and the veiling glare from currency risk," Journal of International Money and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 31(7), pages 1851-1866.
    4. Tim A. Kroencke & Felix Schindler & Andreas Schrimpf, 2014. "International Diversification Benefits with Foreign Exchange Investment Styles," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 18(5), pages 1847-1883.
    5. Jing-zhi Huang & Zhaodong Zhong, 2013. "Time Variation in Diversification Benefits of Commodity, REITs, and TIPS," The Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics, Springer, vol. 46(1), pages 152-192, January.
    6. Kai Li & Asani Sarkar & Zhenyu Wang, 1999. "Assessing the impact of short-sale constraints on the gains from international diversification," Staff Reports 89, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    7. Nijman, T.E. & de Roon, F.A. & Werker, B.J.M., 1996. "Testing for Spanning with Futrures Contracts and Nontraded Assets : A General Approach," Other publications TiSEM 30cf5d43-2275-4b9b-9a91-6, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    8. Raymond Kan & Guofu Zhou, 2012. "Tests of Mean-Variance Spanning," Annals of Economics and Finance, Society for AEF, vol. 13(1), pages 139-187, May.
    9. de Roon, F. A. & Nijman, T. E. & Werker, B. J., 1996. "Testing for Spanning with Futures Contracts and Nontraded Assets: A general Approach," SFB 373 Discussion Papers 1996,63, Humboldt University of Berlin, Interdisciplinary Research Project 373: Quantification and Simulation of Economic Processes.
    10. Schröder, Michael, 2000. "Investment opportunities in Central and Eastern European equity markets: an econometric examination of the risk-return relationships for western investors," ZEW Discussion Papers 00-42, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    11. Nijman, T.E. & de Roon, F.A. & Werker, B.J.M., 2001. "Testing for Mean-Variance spanning with short sales constraints and transaction costs : The case of emerging markets," Other publications TiSEM f4a3551a-d7ae-4c22-8813-b, Tilburg University, School of Economics and Management.
    12. Mensah, Jones Odei & Premaratne, Gamini, 2014. "Exploring Diversification Benefits in Asia-Pacific Equity Markets," MPRA Paper 60180, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. de Roon, F.A. & Nijman, T.E. & Werker, B.J.M., 2000. "Currency Hedging for International Stock Portfolios," ERIM Report Series Research in Management ERS-2000-21-F&A, Erasmus Research Institute of Management (ERIM), ERIM is the joint research institute of the Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University and the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE) at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
    14. Li, Kai & Sarkar, Asani & Wang, Zhenyu, 2003. "Diversification benefits of emerging markets subject to portfolio constraints," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 10(1-2), pages 57-80, February.
    15. John Y. Campbell & Luis M. Viceira & Joshua S. White, 2003. "Foreign Currency for Long-Term Investors," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 113(486), pages 1-25, March.
    16. Lim, Terence & Lo, Andrew W. & Merton, Robert C. & Scholes, Myron S., 2006. "The Derivatives Sourcebook," Foundations and Trends(R) in Finance, now publishers, vol. 1(5–6), pages 365-572, April.
    17. Harvey, Campbell R, 1995. "Predictable Risk and Returns in Emerging Markets," Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(3), pages 773-816.
    18. de Groot, Wilma & Pang, Juan & Swinkels, Laurens, 2012. "The cross-section of stock returns in frontier emerging markets," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 19(5), pages 796-818.
    19. Mishra, Anil V., 2015. "Measures of equity home bias puzzle," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 34(C), pages 293-312.
    20. Glabadanidis, Paskalis, 2009. "Measuring the economic significance of mean-variance spanning," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 49(2), pages 596-616, May.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Measuring Diversification Benefits; Asset Allocation; Short Sale Constraint;
    All these keywords.

    NEP fields

    This paper has been announced in the following NEP Reports:

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:ysm:somwrk:ysm371. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: (). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/smyalus.html .

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service hosted by the Research Division of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis . RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.