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The Quantopian Podcast

Quant Radio: Rethink Your Portfolio Strategy with Skewness

Dec 25, 2024
Discover the surprising world of investment skewness and its impact on your portfolio. Learn why diversification may not always serve you well, and how smaller companies can unlock extraordinary gains. Unpack the unexpected negative skewness of green stocks compared to traditional firms. Explore the delicate balance between risk and reward, especially in the realm of bonds and cryptocurrencies. This discussion will challenge your assumptions and provide fresh insights that could transform your investment approach.
12:18

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Understanding investment skewness is crucial as it reveals the potential for larger gains from stocks compared to their average returns.
  • Reevaluating diversification strategies is necessary, as excessive diversification might limit access to significant outlier gains, leading to a more stable yet unexciting return profile.

Deep dives

Understanding Skewness of Returns

Skewness refers to the shape of the distribution of investment returns, indicating whether potential outcomes lean towards positive or negative extremes. A positive skew suggests a higher likelihood of achieving substantial gains from investments, even if the average returns appear modest. For instance, individual stocks historically show a strong positive skew, indicating that they have a greater chance of yielding significant returns compared to their average performance. Recognizing this can help investors distinguish between opportunities that, at first glance, may seem similar in risk and return profiles.

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