Seventy years after Markowitz, portfolio optimization is still an open problem — not because the math is unsettled, but because estimation error eats the theoretical gains. The literature here spans classical mean-variance and its regularized descendants, risk parity and volatility targeting, Black-Litterman-style view blending, and newer machine-learning approaches to covariance estimation and end-to-end allocation.
The recurring finding worth internalizing: naive equal-weight portfolios are shockingly hard to beat out of sample, so a paper’s value usually lies in how honestly it handles estimation risk — shrinkage, robust optimization, turnover penalties — rather than in the elegance of its objective function. The ranking below favors papers that test allocations on real data with realistic constraints.
Related hubs: Factor Investing & Asset Pricing, Risk Management, Machine Learning for Forecasting.
Merton portfolio management problem is studied in this paper within a stochastic volatility, non constant time discount rate, and power utility framework. This problem is time inconsistent and the way out of this predicament is to consider the subgame perfect strategies. The later are characterized
In this paper, we explore the portfolio allocation problem involving an uncertain covariance matrix. We calculate the expected value of the Constant Absolute Risk Aversion (CARA) utility function, marginalized over a distribution of covariance matrices. We show that marginalization introduces a loga
In this paper, we propose a machine learning algorithm for time-inconsistent portfolio optimization. The proposed algorithm builds upon neural network based trading schemes, in which the asset allocation at each time point is determined by a a neural network. The loss function is given by an empiric
In this article, we present a novel approach for the construction of an environment-friendly green portfolio using the ESG ratings, and application of the modern portfolio theory to present what we call as the ``green efficient frontier’’ (wherein the environmental score is included as a third dimen
Active investing aims to construct a portfolio of assets that are believed to be relatively profitable in the markets, with one popular method being to construct a portfolio via factor-based strategies. In recent years, there have been increasing efforts to apply deep learning to pursue “deep factor
Since its conception, the cryptocurrency market has been frequently described as an immature market, characterized by significant swings in volatility and occasionally described as lacking rhyme or reason. There has been great speculation as to what role it plays in a diversified portfolio. For inst
In this paper, we build on using the class of f-divergence induced coherent risk measures for portfolio optimization and derive its necessary optimality conditions formulated in CAPM format. We derive a new f-Beta similar to the Standard Betas and also extended it to previous works in Drawdown Betas
The classical multi-armed bandit (MAB) problem involves a learner and a collection of K independent arms, each with its own ex ante unknown independent reward distribution. At each one of a finite number of rounds, the learner selects one arm and receives new information. The learner often faces an
This article provides global evidence supporting the Low Volatility Anomaly: that low risk stocks consistently provide higher returns than high risk stocks. T
Decision-focused learning (DFL) is attractive for portfolio optimization because it trains predictors according to downstream decision quality rather than prediction accuracy alone. However, SPO(Smart, Predict then Optimize surrogate)-based DFL may produce inflated return signals and unstable portfo
We propose a Gaussian-copula-based framework that learns deal-level dependence directly from observed joint success frequencies across founder, geography, and market attributes. Holding marginal deal success probabilities fixed, deal-level correlation preserves expected portfolio outcomes but shifts
The debate between active and passive investment strategies has been ongoing for many years and is far from being over. In this paper, we show that the choice of an optimal portfolio management strategy depends on an investment climate, which we measure via the parameters of the Heston model calibra
With the emergence of decentralized finance, new trading mechanisms called Automated Market Makers have appeared. The most popular Automated Market Makers are Constant Function Market Makers. They have been studied both theoretically and empirically. In particular, the concept of impermanent loss ha
Portfolio decisions are often made under uncertainty about expected returns, and investors revise their beliefs as new information arrives. Although richer information generally cannot reduce optimized value ex ante, the trading strategy it induces need not improve on the strategy induced by a less
Driven by the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters and chronic climate threats, we investigate the impact of physical climate risk on global equity portfolios. By employing a panel regression analysis on sectoral returns, we provide statistical evidence that extreme temperature ev
The Total Portfolio Approach and Strategic Asset Allocation are widely viewed as competing frameworks for institutional portfolio management. We argue they differ in a single governance parameter: the tracking error constraint. Using U.S. equity and bond data from 2000 to 2026, with portfolio simula
Historically, financial risk management has mostly addressed risk factors that arise from the financial environment. Climate risks present a novel and significant challenge for companies and financial markets. Investors aiming for avoidance of firms with high carbon footprints require suitable risk
In quantitative investing, return prediction supports various tasks, including stock selection, portfolio optimization, and risk management. Quantitative factors, such as valuation, quality, and growth, capture various characteristics of stocks. Unstructured data, like news and transcripts, has attr
This paper develops stochastic optimization problems for describing and analyzing behavioral investors with Markowitz Stochastic Dominance (MSD) preferences. Specifically, we establish dominance conditions in a discrete state-space to capture all reverse S-shaped MSD preferences as well as all subje
Recent studies have highlighted the significance of higher-order moments - such as coskewness - in portfolio optimization within the financial domain. This paper extends that focus to the field of actuarial science by examining the impact of these moments on key actuarial applications. In the first
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