In this conversation with Farouk Jivraj, a seasoned portfolio manager at Fidelity Investments, listeners will discover the intricacies of alternative risk premia strategies. He outlines a practical 5-step approach for effectively implementing these strategies. Farouk emphasizes the significance of thoughtfully-constructed peer groups and the importance of adapting to market dynamics. The discussion also covers the role of technology in finance, the potential hazards of p-hacking in research, and how active management enhances portfolio performance.
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Quick takeaways
Farouk Jivraj outlines a five-step process for implementing alternative risk premia strategies, emphasizing the integration of rigorous management and perpetual evaluation.
Establishing focused peer groups is crucial for accurately assessing alternative risk premia, as generic benchmarks often overlook unique strategy characteristics.
The discussion highlights the importance of volatility-sensitive weighting for portfolio construction, ensuring balanced risk management in changing market conditions.
Deep dives
Building Alternative Risk Premium Strategies
The episode delves into the construction of alternative risk premium (ARP) strategies, highlighting the importance of understanding how different factors interact within portfolios. Farouk Javraj, an industry expert, explains that his experience on both the sell-side and buy-side informs the design of ARP platforms at Fidelity Investments. He emphasizes the significance of a well-rounded approach that considers the psychological aspects of managing portfolios alongside technical strategies. The discussion also reveals the dual importance of maintaining rigorous standards in both strategy generation and portfolio management to optimize long-term returns.
The Five-Step Implementation Process
Farouk outlines a five-step process integral to implementing ARP strategies effectively. This involves specifying investment objectives, selecting suitable premiums, choosing strategies, and constructing portfolios, followed by ongoing management. Each step is meticulously designed to ensure that all components work in harmony towards achieving set goals while adapting to ever-evolving market conditions. This structured methodology allows for thoughtful evaluations of risk and return characteristics, fostering a more disciplined approach to portfolio management.
Importance of Peer Groups in Strategy Selection
The conversation highlights the necessity of establishing focused peer groups for more effective evaluation of ARP strategies. Farouk notes that generic benchmarks often fail to capture the unique characteristics and nuances of various strategies, leading to suboptimal portfolio construction. By creating specific peer groups, Fidelity can conduct more accurate assessments of individual premiums and their performance against similar strategies. This approach helps in identifying hidden risks and advantages that are crucial for robust strategy selection.
Portfolio Construction and Management
Constructing portfolios requires a delicate balance of risk management and strategic asset allocation. Farouk emphasizes the need to use a volatility-sensitive weighting scheme to ensure appropriateness in risk exposure across strategies. Additionally, the management process is crucial, as ongoing evaluations enable portfolios to adapt to changing market dynamics effectively. This proactive stance helps in addressing potential underperformance, supporting long-term investment objectives while minimizing adverse impacts during drawdowns.
Integrating ARP Strategies into Asset Allocation
The podcast discusses how to position alternative risk premiums within a broader asset allocation framework of stocks and bonds. Farouk suggests that investors should dynamically assess their exposure to alternatives based on evolving correlations and desired portfolio profiles. He underscores the importance of continuous evaluation of portfolio sizing to align with investment goals as market conditions change. This comprehensive perspective not only enhances risk diversification but also improves the overall resilience of investment portfolios.
In this episode, I speak with Farouk Jivraj, Portfolio Manager and Head of Alternative Risk Premia at Fidelity Investments’ Asset Management Solutions division.
After spending nearly a decade on the sell side, Farouk joined Fidelity in 2021 with the goal of building out an alternative risk premium platform, tapping into the best of what both the sell-side QIS desks have to offer and what can be built in-house.
We spend the majority of the conversation peeling apart the layers of Farouk’s 5-step process for implementing alternative risk premia strategies. He shares his thoughts on how to classify different premia, why thoughtfully-constructed peer groups are an important evaluation tool, how to go about selecting specific strategies, how to construct portfolios of alternative risk premia, and the actual rubber-meets-road implementation practicalities.
Please enjoy my conversation with Farouk Jivraj.
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