Pre and Post Merger P-E Ratios
Pre and Post Merger P-E Ratios
Pre and Post Merger P-E Ratios
Risk Modeling
Problems with historical risk modeling:
Data requirements. Need the number of periods of history to exceed the
number of stocks.
Handling of new assets.
Handling of assets whose characteristics (and variances and covariances)
have changed over time.
Factor Models:
r = X�
b+u
V = X ��
F XΔ T
+
Each month, we separate returns into common factor components, and a
specific component.
Our covariance matrix consists of a common factor piece, and a specific
piece. We assume specific returns are uncorrelated. We choose common
factors to completely capture the common components of returns.
There are three main approaches to determining factors:
o Fundamental factors: we specify exposures and estimate monthly or
daily factor returns.
o Macroeconomic factors: we specify changes in macreconomic
variables, and estimate individual stock exposures to those factors via
time series regressions for each stock.
o Statistical factors: We jointly estimate factors and exposures, under
the assumption that exposures do not change over our estimation
period.
Given a covariance matrix, we can estimate betas more accurately than by
simply running historical regressions.
The marginal contribution to active risk measures the change in active risk given a
small change in position:
�w V� h PA
MCAR = TP =
� h PA wP
At optimality these marginal contributions are directly related to alphas:
α = 2l �wP � MCAR
� IR � MCAR
This allows us to back out implied alphas from a given portfolio P.
Valuation
We discussed several approaches to valuation, from those firmly grounded in
theory, to those more ad hoc in nature. We also discussed approaches focused on
the stock price, and approaches focused on stock returns.
The most general approach is to extend the APT framework to also allow us to
forecast specific returns. In general, we construct models that look like:
r = X�b+ A� gε+
We can forecast the factor returns as in Equation . We can also forecast the
coefficients g. In fact, we typically pick signals A such that g are relatively
constant. So if A represented analyst estimate revisions, the coefficient g would
tell us the expected return given such revisions.
Behavioral Finance
Behavioral finance research has uncovered several types of systematic
irrationality:
Social interactions (conforming, follow-the-crowd behavior)
Heuristic simplification (generalizing from personal experience and recent
events)
Self-deception (over-confidence)
Behavioral finance has two implications for active management:
It helps make active management possible.
In principle, it can lead us to develop new active strategies.
One example of behavioral research was Sloan’s work, “Do Stock Prices Fully
Reflect Information in Accruals and Cash Flows about Future Earnings.” Part of
that research was econometric: cash flows are more persistent than accruals. But
another part—and the part that made this of interest to active managers—was that
the market didn’t understand this difference.