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On the Inefficiency of Bang-Bang and Stop-Loss Portfolio Strategies

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  • Gollier, Christian

Abstract

We show in this article that bang-bang portfolio strategies where the investor is alternatively 100% in equity and 100% in cash are dynamically inefficient. Our proof of this is based on a simple second-order stochastic dominance (SSD) argument. It implies that this is true for any decision criterion that satisfies SSD, not necessarily expected utility. We also examine the stop-loss strategy in which the investor is 100% in equity as long as the value of the portfolio exceeds a lower limit where the investor switches to 100% in cash. Again, we show that this strategy is inefficient under second-order risk aversion. However, a slight modification of it--in which all wealth exceeding a minimum reserve is invested in equity--is shown to be an efficient dynamic portfolio strategy. This is optimal for investors with a nondifferentiable utility function. Copyright 1997 by Kluwer Academic Publishers

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  • Gollier, Christian, 1997. "On the Inefficiency of Bang-Bang and Stop-Loss Portfolio Strategies," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 143-154, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jrisku:v:14:y:1997:i:2:p:143-54
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrew Clare & James Seaton & Peter N Smith & Stephen Thomas, 2013. "Breaking into the blackbox: Trend following, stop losses and the frequency of trading – The case of the S&P500," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 14(3), pages 182-194, June.
    2. Yang, Chunpeng & Zhang, Zhanpei, 2021. "Realization utility with stop-loss strategy," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 261-275.
    3. Daniel W. Richards & Janette Rutterford & Devendra Kodwani & Mark Fenton-O'Creevy, 2017. "Stock market investors' use of stop losses and the disposition effect," The European Journal of Finance, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 23(2), pages 130-152, January.
    4. Jakusch, Sven Thorsten & Meyer, Steffen & Hackethal, Andreas, 2019. "Taming models of prospect theory in the wild? Estimation of Vlcek and Hens (2011)," SAFE Working Paper Series 146, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE, revised 2019.

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