Portfolio construction and risk management: theory versus practice

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to identify a possible mismatch between the theory found in academic research and the practices of investment managers in Brazil. Design/methodology/approach The chosen approach is a field survey. This paper considers 78 survey responses from 274 asset management companies. Data obtained are analyzed using independence tests between two variables and multiple regressions. Findings The results show that most Brazilian investment managers have not adopted current best practices recommended by the financial academic literature and that there is a significant gap between academic recommendations and asset management practices. The modern portfolio theory is still more widely used than the post-modern portfolio theory, and quantitative portfolio optimization is less often used than the simple rule of defining a maximum concentration limit for any single asset. Moreover, the results show that the normal distribution is used more than parametrical distributions with asymmetry and kurtosis to estimate value at risk, among other findings. Originality/value This study may be considered a pioneering work in portfolio construction, risk management and performance evaluation in Brazil. Although academia in Brazil and abroad has thoroughly researched portfolio construction, risk management and performance evaluation, little is known about the actual implementation and utilization of this research by Brazilian practitioners.

Risk and Return Analysis for Companies Registered in the Iraq Stock Exchange Based on the Sortino and Sharpe Methods

“…Today we see that the average life cycle of products has been much shorter than a decade or decades ago. Those factors have been imposed on investment departments or investment portfolios to adopt sober investment strategies that achieve the highest possible returns with the least potential risks, which is the fundamental goal of any investor or portfolio manager [15].…”