Professional Documents
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This material does not constitute investment advice and should not be viewed as a current or
past recommendation or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any
investment strategy.
qCIO:
Capitalizing on Market Inefficiencies
Long-Term Returns from Short-Term Dislocations
In the long run, markets tend to behave like weighing
machines, which value assets rationally on the basis of
what they are actually worth. In the short term,
however, markets tend to be more like voting
machines, which reflect the often erratic desires and
fears of fickle publics and willful national governments.
Benjamin Graham
Q.M.S Advisors
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Page 1
qCIO:
Exploiting Temporary Mispricings
qCIO seeks to exploit these constantly evolving
economic conditions and the temporary mispricings
that result among individual geographies and asset
classes, opportunistically adjusting our investment
views in response to the changing patterns of risk and
reward in the markets.
qCIO does this through close quantitative analysis of
global pricing trends, business cycles, volatility levels
and other macro-economic signals.
Q.M.S Advisors
Av. de la Gare. 1 | 1003, Lausanne CH | tel: 078 922 08 77 | e-mail: info@qmsadv.com | website: www.qmsadv.com
Page 2
qCIO:
A Market Neutral Global Macro Fund
Bespoke Tactical Macro Investing
qCIOs returns are driven not by the directional
movement of any one market but by exploiting shortterm mispricings among the markets themselves.
qCIOs derived alpha tends to be highly efficient due to
the targeted balance of risk and return it achieves
across markets.
qCIO: a customizable strategy with a consistent return
per unit of risk.
Q.M.S Advisors
Av. de la Gare. 1 | 1003, Lausanne CH | tel: 078 922 08 77 | e-mail: info@qmsadv.com | website: www.qmsadv.com
Page 3
This material does not constitute investment advice and should not be viewed as a current or
past recommendation or a solicitation of an offer to buy or sell any securities or to adopt any
investment strategy.
Table of Contents
Portfolio Objectives
Asset Classes and Market Coverage
Model Overview and Investment Process
Overview of Signals Across Investment Strategies
Derivation of Relative Return and Risk Expectations
Blending: Aggregation and Apportioning of Views
Portfolio Construction
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Page 5
Portfolio Objective
Quantitative Global Macro Strategy Focused On
Maximizing Risk-adjusted Returns
Example:
Excess Return over Cash
Volatility
Sharpe Ratio
Objective
10 - 20%
5 - 10%
2.0
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Page 6
Coverage
Asset Classes and Markets
A set of Models covering multiple Asset Classes and Markets
Markets currently included in the modeling process
9 stock markets: US, Japan, UK, Eurozone, Switzerland, Australia, Canada,
Hong Kong and emerging markets
7 bond markets: US, Japan, UK, Germany, Australia, Canada, Switzerland
7 currency markets: USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF, CAD,AUD
A system built around five independent set of models, with nonoverlapping signals and return drivers
Risk Premia: Intra-country Relative Value: Inter-country
Stock-Bond
Stock VS Stock
Bond-Cash
Bond VS Bond
Currency
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Page 7
Model Overview
Global Macro Strategy: Approach
An quantitative global macro investment strategy built around five
independent sets of models with non-overlapping signals and return drivers
Risk Premia Arbitrage
Intra-country Systems
Market Spreads
Inter-country Systems
FX
Stock VS Stock
Bond VS Bond
Cash VS Bond
Q.M.S Advisors
Bond VS Stock
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Page 8
Investment Process
Investment Procedure Outline
Portfolio Implementation
Pairwise Views
Blending
Portfolio Construction
Derive direction
and confidence of
investment views
for all pairs
Derive expected
returns for all
assets through
Bayesian blending
Identification of
common signals for
all pairs
Q.M.S Advisors
Portfolio construction:
Tactical trades
implemented via
futures contracts
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Page 9
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Investment Process
Investment Procedure Outline
All recommended strategies of the qCIO Model are based on expected excess returns derived
from blending investment views of five independent sub-systems designed for different asset
classes and markets; the weights of the views are determined by their relative statistical
confidence as well as their dynamic correlations.
Foreign Exch.
sub-system
Bond-Bond
sub-system
qCIOs
Blending
Model
Stock-Stock
sub-system
Cash-Bond
sub-system
Bond-Stock
sub-system
Expected Excess
Returns and Risks
Strategies
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Page 10
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
At each iteration, the dependent variable is defined as the excess return of bonds over
cash, hedged into USD
The explanatory variables correspond to the signal associated with the country under
consideration
A dynamic constant is included, corresponding to a risk premium
36 iterations
Japan vs. US, EU vs. US, EU vs. JP, UK vs. Japan, etc.
The dependent variable is the excess returns of the two stock markets considered
(relative to cash), hedged into USD
The explanatory variables correspond to the difference in signals between 2 markets
Example: Yield Gap for Japan vs. US = YG(USA)-YG(Japan)
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Page 11
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Investment Process
Typology of Signals
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Page 12
Pairwise Views
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
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Page 13
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
EUR
6
6
7
6
4
3.5
3
GBP
3
7
6
7
4
4.5
4
CHF
7
2
4
3
4
6
5
CAD
2
4
2
5
4
5
4
AUD
1
3
5
2
4
4.5
6
EUR
2
7
7
5
4
5
6
GBP
5
6
6
7
4
1.5
1
CHF
1
5
4
6
4
4.5
4
CAD
6
3
2
4
4
4
5
AUD
7
1
5
1
4
7
7
EUR
12%
8%
10%
5%
7%
58%
GBP
12%
6%
10%
5%
7%
60%
CHF
12%
10%
8%
7%
6%
57%
CAD
13%
8%
10%
5%
8%
56%
AUD
16%
5%
11%
5%
5%
58%
Q.M.S Advisors
JPY
12%
10%
7%
11%
5%
54%
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Page 14
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
UK
+2.7
+3.5
-3.9
+1.4
+3.5
Aus
-3.9
+2.3
-0.9
+2.2
+2.9
Can
-3.6
+3.1
-4.8
+2.0
+1.6
Swi
-2.5
+1.6
-0.4
-1.4
+3.0
UK
+0.1
-0.2
-0.9
+3.8
+0.3
Aus
+0.7
-0.1
-0.9
+5.8
+2.4
Can
+0.0
-0.3
-0.9
+5.8
+1.7
Swi
+1.4
-0.8
+3.9
+1.3
+0.6
UK
30%
57%
0%
13%
Aus
8%
41%
21%
29%
Can
40%
39%
7%
14%
Swi
25%
42%
13%
19%
Eur
34%
66%
0%
0%
Q.M.S Advisors
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Page 15
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
UK
2
6
4
Aus
5
2
3
Can
4
3
2
Swi
7
5
7
UK
2
4
2
Aus
6
6
6
Can
4
3
3
Swi
5
5
5
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Page 16
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
UK
-3.8
+4.1
-4.6
Aus
-2.3
+3.7
-3.5
Can
-3.7
+3.7
-3.4
Swi
-3.5
+3.6
-2.9
UK
+0.0
+0.0
-0.2
Aus
-0.6
+0.0
-0.0
Can
+0.0
+0.0
-1.0
Swi
-0.2
+0.0
-0.2
Aus
0.6
0.0
Can
0.6
0.0
Swi
0.5
0.0
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Page 17
Pairwise
Views
Signals
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Aus
9
3
3
6
3
6
Can
7
4
8
9
6
7
Swi
4
6
5
8
7
7
HK
1
9
7
1
1
2
EMF
6
8
6
2
3
9
Aus
9
2
6
8
3
7
Can
7
4
7
9
8
7
Swi
5
5
4
6
7
6
HK
1
9
8
3
1
2
EMF
6
8
5
3
3
9
Q.M.S Advisors
UK
3
3
1
5
3
4
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Page 18
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Pairwise Views
Process
qCIO is based on the sequential analysis of all expected returns
and standard error of all asset pairs for each sub-system
qCIO is designed so as to ensure an optimal and robust dynamic
modeling of all pairs of assets considered by utilizing advanced
Bayesian methodologies
For each of the five sub-systems, we obtain:
The expected excess return for every pair of assets
The expected risk for every pair of assets
The evolution of the weights for each signal
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Page 19
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Blending
Aggregation and Apportioning of Views
Currency System
USD vs JPY
USD vs EUR
EUR vs JPY
etc.
Stock-Bond System
US Stocks vs Bonds
Japan Stocks vs Bonds
Eurozone Stocks vs Bonds
etc
Blending
Stock-Stock System
US vs Japan
US vs Eurozone
Japan vs Eurozone
etc.
Expected Returns
and Standard Errors
Bond-Bond System
US vs Japan
US vs Eurozone
Japan vs Eurozone
etc.
Q.M.S Advisors
Bond-Cash System
US Bonds vs Cash
Japan Bonds vs Cash
Euro Bonds vs Cash
etc.
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Page 20
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Blending
Aggregation and Apportioning of Views
Bayesian blending mechanism to obtain expected returns based on:
Prior expectations: Excess returns are set to 0 in the absence of views, their
covariance is estimated historically using exponential decay
Views: Expected excess returns obtained from the Bayesian regression
Confidence of the views
1 0 0 E (Cash) 0.75% ec
P
Q.M.S Advisors
E(ret) = V + e
=diag(cov(e))
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Page 21
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Blending
Aggregation and Apportioning of Views
The conditional expected returns of each asset class is expressed as:
E(R) = [ ( )-1 + PT -1 P ] -1 . [ ( )-1 + PT -1 V ]
With:
the vector of equilibrium returns (set to 0)
the covariance of returns (based on historical data)
P the matrix of views
the covariance of the views
a calibration factor (set to 0.02, no consensus on its value in the literature)
Limiting cases:
P=0: No views
BL returns= Equilibrium returns (0)
Inv(): No forecast error
BL returns = Views
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Page 22
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Q.M.S Advisors
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Page 23
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
HK
-0.7%
2.5%
0.4%
-3.3%
4.0%
2.9%
EMF
0.1%
1.6%
0.5%
-2.7%
-2.2%
-2.7%
Sub-Systems' contributions to expected excess returns of bond markets over cash, % p.a.
US
Jap
Eur
UK
Aus
Can
Swi
FX Sub-System
-0.3%
-0.2%
-0.3%
-0.2%
0.1%
-0.3%
0.1%
Bond-Cash Sub-System
1.9%
1.5%
1.8%
1.9%
2.1%
1.8%
1.5%
Bond-Bond Sub-System
1.3%
0.0%
-0.2%
0.3%
0.6%
0.9%
-0.4%
Stock-Bond Sub-System
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Stock-Stock Sub-System
0.2%
0.1%
0.2%
0.2%
0.1%
0.1%
0.1%
Expected Bond Excess Return
3.1%
1.6%
1.6%
2.1%
2.9%
2.5%
1.3%
* All bond markets are currency-hedged into US dollars
Sub-Systems' contributions to expected excess returns of currencies over USD, % p.a.
JPY
EUR
GBP
AUD
CAD
FX Sub-System
15.9%
2.5%
1.3%
-0.9%
-0.2%
Bond-Cash Sub-System
0.0%
-0.1%
0.0%
-0.1%
0.1%
Bond-Bond Sub-System
-0.1%
0.0%
0.1%
-0.1%
0.1%
Stock-Bond Sub-System
0.0%
0.2%
0.0%
0.0%
0.0%
Stock-Stock Sub-System
-0.1%
-0.1%
0.0%
-0.2%
-0.1%
15.8%
2.4%
1.4%
-1.2%
-0.1%
Expected Currency Excess Return
Q.M.S Advisors
CHF
-0.4%
0.0%
0.0%
0.2%
-0.1%
-0.3%
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Page 24
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Portfolio Construction
Model Tradeoff between return and risk is made
The objective function is to maximize single-period expected
return subject to tracking error target
Flexible control of turnover can be achieved by means of a
transaction penalty parameter (factor is highest in the first half of
the month), and other methods
Round-trip transaction costs assumptions are 12 bp, 4 bp, and 8
bp for stocks, bonds and FX
Portfolios with different objectives and constraints are
constructed using the same set of expected return, ensuring
information consistency
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Page 25
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Portfolio Construction
Optimal Weights Targeting 5% Risk p.a.
Expected Information Ratio
Current
2.28
Five-year average
2.47
* All bond markets and all stock market except Hong Kong and Emerging Markets are currency-hedged into US dollars
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Page 26
Signals
Pairwise
Views
Blending
Portfolio
Constru.
Portfolio Backtests
Unrestricted Systematic Global Macro Program
Realized Performance - 15 years
Annual Alpha =
6.30%
Tracking Error =
7.77%
Information Ratio =
0.81
The unrestricted program is the most accurate reflection of the models views.
Where a benchmark is present, no short-selling or leverage is permitted.
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Page 27
Defining Features
qCIO Systematic Global Macro Program
qCIO Global Macro and GTAA Strategies are global, multi asset class
strategies, that seek to add alpha through advanced quantitative
investment processes. Potential investment opportunities are
identified via rigorous and disciplined approaches based on
combinations of economic and financial factors.
Generally, investment managers assemble their portfolios based
on their long-term views of the performance of a single asset class,
usually employing a five-year investment horizon. This traditional
approach doesnt take into account short-term macro events that
have the potential to move the market. While these events take
place, the resulting mis-valuations provide the opportunity to
capture short-term incremental returns that are complementary to
the long-term holdings of a traditional portfolio.
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Page 28
Defining Features
qCIO Systematic Global Macro Program
qCIO seeks to capitalize on numerous sources of alpha by identifying
the markets constantly evolving economic conditions and taking long
and short positions in global equity, bond, credit, commodity and
currency futures markets.
qCIO views these asset classes on a differential basis, and in
accordance with an array of macro-economic events in a number of
different geographic markets.
qCIO seeks to generate absolute return that has insignificant to very
low correlation to a portfolios traditional asset classes, and allow
investors to add alpha to their portfolios by exploring short-term
sources of return while broadening their investment opportunity set
from domestic markets to global markets, and from a single asset class
to multiple asset classes.
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Page 29
Defining Features
qCIO Systematic Global Macro Program
Diversification across signals
Relying on one type of strategy is likely to fail as a variety of signals drive
returns and as their correlation with returns varies over time. In contrast,
the qCIO process analyse markets methodically and focuses on a wide
array of market signals to identify opportunities.
These signals are grouped into five broad investment themes:
equilibrium, value, price dynamics, growth, and risk/sentiment that
are consistent with economic intuition and are retained on the basis
of their predictive power.
In accordance with this analysis, opportunities for alpha can be grouped
under two broad assumptions:
Shorter term momentum for the risk and sentiment indicators, and
for price dynamics signals
Mean reversion for economic indicators (e.g. growth, valuation, and
carry)
Altogether multiple market views and diverse signals are expected to
indicate where any target market stands in relation to its fair value or in
relation to other markets.
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Page 30