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Factors and Sectors in Asset Allocation: Stronger Together?

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  • Marie Briere
  • Ariane Szafarz

Abstract

This paper compares and contrasts factor investing and sector investing, and then seeks a compromise by optimally exploiting the advantages of both styles. Our results show that sector investing is effective for reducing risk through diversification while factor investing is better for capturing risk premia and so pushing up returns. This suggests that there is room for potentially fruitful combinations of the two styles. Presumably, by combining factors and sectors, investors would benefit both from the diversification potential of the former and the risk premia of the latter. The tests reveal that composite strategies are particularly attractive; they confirm that sector investing helps reduce risksduring crisis periods, while factor investing can boost returns during quiet times.

Suggested Citation

  • Marie Briere & Ariane Szafarz, 2018. "Factors and Sectors in Asset Allocation: Stronger Together?," Working Papers CEB 18-016, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    • Handle: RePEc:sol:wpaper:2013/269054
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Jonathan Fletcher, 2018. "An Examination of the Benefits of Factor Investing in U.K. Stock Returns," International Journal of Economics and Finance, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 10(4), pages 154-170, April.
    2. Marie Brière & Ariane Szafarz, 2021. "When it rains, it pours: Multifactor asset management in good and bad times," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 44(3), pages 641-669, September.
    3. Brière, Marie & Szafarz, Ariane, 2020. "Good diversification is never wasted: How to tilt factor portfolios with sectors," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 33(C).
    4. Jonathan Fletcher, 2017. "An Empirical Examination of the Incremental Contribution of Stock Characteristics in UK Stock Returns," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-19, October.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Investment; Asset allocation; Factor; Industry; Sector; Crisis;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • C52 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Evaluation, Validation, and Selection
    • D92 - Microeconomics - - Micro-Based Behavioral Economics - - - Intertemporal Firm Choice, Investment, Capacity, and Financing

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