This article is more than 1 year old

Computer-based models to replace the investment advisor?

Man versus machine

For example, a principal programme trading, where a broker quotes a price to guarantee completion for a list of trades and executes those orders at current market prices, will encompass a model of expected cost for assessing competing quotes from brokers. Yet, the traders' selection of brokers best suited for each trade is critical to successful execution.

Some quantitative fund managers let the data set the direction by, for example, using computers to identify patterns and relationships in asset classes and instrument prices. Others are sceptical of investment ideas that originate in and from "black-box". By working with theoretically sound investment themes, they should be identified, rationalised and justified by people for performance to be stable and continuous into the future

Quantitative portfolio construction is about taking forecasts of asset class and individual instruments and the returns on them, models of portfolio risk and estimates of transaction costs and, finally, reconciliation of optimal trade-off between these components. Importantly, it is accompanied by a high degree of management and oversight.

The portfolio manager should vet the information going into the creation of forecast returns. As with other forms of data entry "rubbish in, rubbish out" is true. Portfolio managers, for example, have check major changes in earnings forecasts and examine extreme high and low valuations to make sure they truly reflect expected earnings, and are not some form of data error. Longer-term economic outlooks and less substantive issues, which may contribute to the performance, have to be mapped against the data, as do extraordinary events such as 9/11 or the recent terror alerts in the UK.

Quantitative management focuses on collection and analysis of historical data. In consequence it is alleged to have a selection tendency towards so-called "value-based" investment selections with a strong bias to selection of companies with strong cash flow and solid tangible assets. This ignores or places a lower rating on matters such as quality of management, products and services, and innovation not yet translated into cash flow such as intellectual property, for example brands and patents.

Successful quantitative managers must be innovative, "seeking to extract the best from man and machine" to produce a quantitative investment process that is fast, accurate and exceptional in execution. The process has to deliver consistent performance both of markets and competitors in the asset classes with an ability to adapt. In a fiercely competitive environment of financial markets, this is a continual and evolving challenge. An active quantitative investment approach must blend people's insight and creativity with the efficiency and speed that technology can supply.

Investment performance is ultimately dependent on the quality, innovation and insight of research. Quantitative managers should be interested in all opportunities to outperform the benchmark return. Ideas, which evolve and contribute to this achievement, will not come from a machine but from people.

Copyright © 2006, IT-Analysis.com

More about

TIP US OFF

Send us news


Other stories you might like