Author: shyam

Your Friends may be your Portfolio’s worst Enemy

Consider this:

  • People who live near each other increase their ownership of stocks around the same time.
  • 401(k) investors put more money into stocks when their co-workers have recently earned high returns that way.
  • Mutual-fund managers are more likely to invest in a company when other stock-pickers in the same city are also buying it.

Nobel Prize-winning economist Robert Shiller found that for 62% of individual investors and a shocking 75% of institutional investors, the decision to invest in stocks with hot recent returns had nothing to do with a “systematic search.”

Instead, these investors seemed to chase whatever grabbed their attention the most because other people were talking about it.

And it is not only in investing. “Group attention” – the experience of simultaneous co-attention with one’s group members – increases emotional intensity relative to attending alone. Greater fear, gloom, and glee is a result from group attention to scary, sad, and happy events, respectively.

Individuals come to feel more when they are together.

Sources:

Howard Marks on Risk

risk-return

Howard Marks of Oaktree Capital on risk:

We hear it all the time: “Riskier investments produce higher returns” and “If you want to make more money, take more risk.” Both of these formulations are terrible. In brief, if riskier investments could be counted on to produce higher returns, they wouldn’t be riskier.

You can read the whole thing here:

Weekly Recap: The One Big Bet of buy-and-hold

world.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Equities

Major
DAX(DEU) +3.01%
CAC(FRA) +2.76%
UKX(GBR) +0.72%
NKY(JPN) +1.35%
SPX(USA) +0.49%
MINTs
JCI(IDN) +0.63%
INMEX(MEX) +1.14%
NGSEINDX(NGA) -0.48%
XU030(TUR) +1.71%
BRICS
IBOV(BRA) +0.31%
SHCOMP(CHN) +5.95%
NIFTY(IND) +1.67%
INDEXCF(RUS) +3.67%
TOP40(ZAF) +1.20%

Commodities

Energy
Brent Crude Oil -1.73%
Ethanol -8.18%
Heating Oil -0.90%
Natural Gas -5.58%
RBOB Gasoline -6.24%
WTI Crude Oil -1.13%
Metals
Copper +0.96%
Gold 100oz -1.59%
Palladium -0.87%
Platinum -1.15%
Silver 5000oz -2.05%

Currencies

USDEUR:+1.81% USDJPY:+1.33%

MINTs
USDIDR(IDN) +0.50%
USDMXN(MEX) -0.35%
USDNGN(NGA) +0.12%
USDTRY(TUR) -0.17%
BRICS
USDBRL(BRA) -0.00%
USDCNY(CHN) -0.04%
USDINR(IND) -0.18%
USDRUB(RUS) +0.87%
USDZAR(ZAF) +0.59%
Agricultural
Cattle +3.42%
Cocoa -3.62%
Coffee (Arabica) +1.24%
Coffee (Robusta) +1.28%
Corn -4.01%
Cotton -1.55%
Feeder Cattle +3.42%
Lean Hogs +10.34%
Lumber -0.83%
Orange Juice -0.73%
Soybean Meal +1.53%
Soybeans +0.98%
Sugar #11 -3.65%
Wheat -4.14%
White Sugar -2.32%

Credit Indices

Index Change
Markit CDX EM -0.35%
Markit CDX NA HY -0.23%
Markit CDX NA IG +0.85%
Markit CDX NA IG HVOL +0.36%
Markit iTraxx Asia ex-Japan IG -4.93%
Markit iTraxx Australia -1.97%
Markit iTraxx Europe +0.18%
Markit iTraxx Europe Crossover -0.53%
Markit iTraxx Japan -3.44%
Markit iTraxx SovX Western Europe +0.00%
Markit LCDX (Loan CDS) +0.00%
Markit MCDX (Municipal CDS) +0.00%
The energy complex took a major hit this week. While most investors were worried about inflation, it turns out that most central banks are barely winning the war against deflation. The ECB announced their version of Quantitative Easing, the missed employment numbers pushed rate hikes in the US farther out. And it looks like money continued to pour into equities.

Nifty Heatmap

CNX NIFTY.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Index Returns

indexperformance.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Sector Performance

sector performance.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Advance Decline

advance.decline.line2.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Market Decile Performance

Decile Mkt. Cap. Adv/Decl
1 (micro) +1.33% 67/71
2 +4.14% 73/64
3 +3.09% 75/62
4 +4.68% 72/65
5 +4.56% 72/64
6 +4.59% 79/59
7 +3.92% 77/60
8 +3.25% 70/67
9 +3.46% 67/70
10 (mega) +2.07% 70/68
Midcaps outperformed large caps after spending nearly a month in the doghouse…

Top winners and losers

TATACHEM +9.88%
CROMPGREAV +11.91%
UPL +19.68%
BHEL -7.51%
MCDOWELL-N -4.79%
CONCOR -4.41%
Who put Tata Chemicals up there? And what’s up with UPL? FII’s can’t even buy the stock…

ETFs

JUNIORBEES +2.89%
CPSEETF +2.74%
INFRABEES +2.59%
NIFTYBEES +1.37%
BANKBEES +1.30%
PSUBNKBEES +0.18%
GOLDBEES -1.66%
No love for gold… equities FTW!

Yield Curve

yieldCurve.2014-08-28.2014-09-05

Bond Indices

Sub Index Change in YTM Total Return(%)
GSEC TB +0.01 +0.18%
GSEC SUB 1-3 -0.10 -0.15%
GSEC SUB 3-8 +0.35 -1.15%
GSEC SUB 8 +0.23 -1.42%
Is the long-end reverting?

Nifty OI

nifty.puts.calls.SEP.2014-09-04.2014-09-05

Bank Nifty OI

bank-nifty.puts.calls.SEP.2014-09-04.2014-09-05

Thought for the weekend

Most investment policies today are Big Bets on world peace. The history of the 20th Century has shown that previously dominant empires can fall. In 1899, which was 15 years before the start of World War I, the Major Powers were:

  • Britain
  • Germany
  • France
  • Austro-Hungary
  • Russia

Here’s the cumulative return of a dollar invested in Austro-Hungarian market:

Austria returns

Britain was a dominant global power at the dawn of the 20th Century. The real return on $1 invested in British equities in 1899 is $372. France returned $36 in the same period. The US? $1,248. And the US was still a promising emerging market country at that time (as was Argentina.)

If you wanted to project equity risk and return expectations, what figure would you use? The US 1,248 real return, the British 372 or the French 36 real return figure?

Source: The One Big Bet made by most buy-and-hold portfolios

Monthly Recap: Popeye, Spinach and Ponzis

world.2014-07-31.2014-08-28

Equities

The Nifty ended the month +3.02% (+2.63% in USD terms)

Major
DAX(DEU) +0.67%
CAC(FRA) +3.18%
UKX(GBR) +1.33%
NKY(JPN) -1.26%
SPX(USA) +3.12%
MINTs
JCI(IDN) +0.94%
INMEX(MEX) +5.16%
NGSEINDX(NGA) -1.34%
XU030(TUR) -2.68%
BRICS
IBOV(BRA) +9.81%
SHCOMP(CHN) +0.71%
NIFTY(IND) +3.02%
INDEXCF(RUS) +1.97%
TOP40(ZAF) -1.28%

Commodities

Energy
Brent Crude Oil -2.83%
Ethanol +4.96%
Heating Oil -1.19%
Natural Gas +5.86%
RBOB Gasoline -7.51%
WTI Crude Oil -2.81%
Metals
Copper -2.79%
Gold 100oz +0.26%
Palladium +3.93%
Platinum -2.71%
Silver 5000oz -5.83%

Currencies

USDEUR:+1.95% USDJPY:+1.19%

MINTs
USDIDR(IDN) +0.95%
USDMXN(MEX) -1.04%
USDNGN(NGA) +0.24%
USDTRY(TUR) +0.99%
BRICS
USDBRL(BRA) -1.29%
USDCNY(CHN) -0.49%
USDINR(IND) -0.07%
USDRUB(RUS) +4.01%
USDZAR(ZAF) -0.22%
Agricultural
Cattle -1.08%
Cocoa +1.78%
Coffee (Arabica) -0.89%
Coffee (Robusta) -3.00%
Corn +0.49%
Cotton +8.76%
Feeder Cattle -0.88%
Lean Hogs -16.68%
Lumber +7.11%
Orange Juice +6.06%
Soybean Meal +12.51%
Soybeans -10.93%
Sugar #11 -5.96%
Wheat +4.01%
White Sugar -3.31%

Credit Indices

Index Change
Markit CDX EM -0.74%
Markit CDX NA HY +0.63%
Markit CDX NA IG -4.36%
Markit CDX NA IG HVOL -9.19%
Markit iTraxx Asia ex-Japan IG -3.92%
Markit iTraxx Australia -1.64%
Markit iTraxx Europe -5.20%
Markit iTraxx Europe Crossover -16.58%
Markit iTraxx Japan -1.29%
Markit iTraxx SovX Western Europe -1.68%
Markit LCDX (Loan CDS) -0.18%
Markit MCDX (Municipal CDS) -5.31%
EM credit was an under-performer when compared to investment grade credit. Brazilian equity markets were on fire, clocking in more then 9% this month.

Index Performance

index performance.2014-07-31.2014-08-28

Sector Performance

sector performance.2014-07-31.2014-08-28

Top winners and losers

TATAMOTORS +17.53%
M&MFIN +18.72%
BPCL +19.68%
RPOWER -19.41%
JINDALSTEL -15.21%
RCOM -14.11%
Tata Motors had a whopper of a month, thanks to its mass-marketization of JLR. The coal scam finally caught up with power and steel companies.

ETFs

JUNIORBEES +3.75%
NIFTYBEES +3.33%
BANKBEES +3.21%
CPSEETF +2.03%
PSUBNKBEES +0.97%
INFRABEES +0.12%
GOLDBEES +0.06%
Gold’s under-performance continued…

Yield Curve

yield Curve.2014-07-31.2014-08-28

Inter-bank Lending Rates

mibor.30days.2014-08-28

Total return bond indices

Sub Index Change in YTM Total Return(%)
GSEC TB +0.13 +0.62%
GSEC SUB 1-3 +0.10 +0.32%
GSEC SUB 3-8 -0.17 +0.63%
GSEC SUB 8 -0.17 +0.37%
Long bonds continued to get compressed and the yield curve continued to flatten out…

Investment theme performance

It was not a good month or week for high-beta strategies. Quality and value continued to outperform.

Thought to sum up the month

Some “truths” stick around long after they have been debunked simply because they get repeated often enough. For example, Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000-hour rule”, spinach being a good source of iron, and the myth about “educating” the investor.

Take Ponzi schemes for instance. In the US, in the first six months of 2014, at least 37 Ponzi schemes were uncovered, with a total of more than $1 billion in potential losses. In India, people bought “Certificate of Goat Keeping” in a polled livestock breeding racket. And in spite of abundance of literature, investors continue to chase performance.

“Attempts to correct irrational investor behavior through education have proved to be futile. The belief that investors will make prudent decisions after education and disclosure has been totally discredited. Instead of teaching, financial professionals should look to implement practices that influence the investor’s focus and expectations in ways that lead to more prudent investment decisions.”

Source:

Weekly Recap: Happiness of Pursuit

world.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Equities

The Nifty ended the week +0.52% (+0.46% in USD terms.)

Major
DAX(DEU) +1.40%
CAC(FRA) +3.02%
UKX(GBR) +0.66%
NKY(JPN) -0.74%
SPX(USA) +0.65%
MINTs
JCI(IDN) -1.19%
INMEX(MEX) +1.21%
NGSEINDX(NGA) -0.08%
XU030(TUR) +1.92%
BRICS
IBOV(BRA) +5.11%
SHCOMP(CHN) -1.05%
NIFTY(IND) +0.52%
INDEXCF(RUS) -2.85%
TOP40(ZAF) -0.77%

Commodities

Energy
Brent Crude Oil +0.94%
Ethanol +1.57%
Heating Oil +0.86%
Natural Gas +6.38%
RBOB Gasoline -4.09%
WTI Crude Oil +2.51%
Metals
Copper -1.88%
Gold 100oz +0.61%
Palladium +2.14%
Platinum +0.23%
Silver 5000oz +0.00%

Currencies

USDEUR:+0.81% USDJPY:+0.14%

MINTs
USDIDR(IDN) +0.14%
USDMXN(MEX) -0.37%
USDNGN(NGA) +0.19%
USDTRY(TUR) -0.64%
BRICS
USDBRL(BRA) -2.02%
USDCNY(CHN) -0.15%
USDINR(IND) +0.07%
USDRUB(RUS) +2.80%
USDZAR(ZAF) -0.23%
Agricultural
Cattle +2.84%
Cocoa -0.10%
Coffee (Arabica) +7.11%
Coffee (Robusta) +2.72%
Corn -1.91%
Cotton +0.58%
Feeder Cattle +1.24%
Lean Hogs +5.69%
Lumber -0.54%
Orange Juice +2.30%
Soybean Meal +1.62%
Soybeans -6.68%
Sugar #11 -0.96%
Wheat -0.27%
White Sugar -0.73%

Credit Indices

Index Change
Markit CDX EM -0.13%
Markit CDX NA HY -0.02%
Markit CDX NA IG -0.34%
Markit CDX NA IG HVOL -1.60%
Markit iTraxx Asia ex-Japan IG -1.81%
Markit iTraxx Australia -0.53%
Markit iTraxx Europe -2.39%
Markit iTraxx Europe Crossover -15.19%
Markit iTraxx Japan -1.89%
Markit iTraxx SovX Western Europe -1.60%
Markit LCDX (Loan CDS) +0.06%
Markit MCDX (Municipal CDS) -4.63%
SPX crossed 2000 for the first time after the dot-com crash. Credit indices, especially that of Europe, ended mostly in the green. Its not pretty in Europe and QE might just be around the corner…

Nifty Heatmap

CNX NIFTY.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Index Returns

index performance.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Sector Performance

sector performance.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Advance Decline

advance.decline.line2.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Market Decile Performance

Decile Mkt. Cap. Adv/Decl
1 (micro) -7.31% 69/70
2 -4.28% 64/73
3 -0.70% 65/73
4 -0.68% 60/79
5 -0.67% 75/63
6 -0.80% 67/71
7 -0.85% 69/70
8 -0.45% 69/69
9 -1.05% 68/70
10 (mega) +0.25% 68/71
It was the large caps that held the market up. Small and mid-cap consolidation continued…

Top winners and losers

GODREJCP +6.11%
GSKCONS +6.78%
BAJAJFINSV +9.10%
JINDALSTEL -20.86%
RPOWER -13.36%
DLF -8.96%
All eyes and ears on the Supreme Court’s decision on the coal scam on Monday. Will they de-allocate and order a fresh bidding? Will they take a more pragmatic approach?

ETFs

NIFTYBEES +0.74%
INFRABEES +0.42%
JUNIORBEES -0.10%
GOLDBEES -0.12%
BANKBEES -0.22%
PSUBNKBEES -2.08%
PSU banks – the biggest drain on Indian productivity?

Investment theme performance

High beta got pummeled due to its banks and real estate exposure. Momentum ended flat.

Yield Curve

yieldCurve.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Bond indices

Sub Index Change in YTM Total Return(%)
GSEC TB +0.07 +0.12%
GSEC SUB 1-3 +0.07 +0.15%
GSEC SUB 3-8 -0.15 +0.69%
GSEC SUB 8 -0.11 +0.95%
Long bond yields continued to compress. If India’s credit rating doesn’t get revised higher, will we see a snap-back?

September Nifty OI

nifty.puts.calls.SEP.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

September BankNifty OI

bank-nifty.puts.calls.SEP.2014-08-22.2014-08-28

Thought for the weekend

New research throws doubt on the classical idea that people are driven by relentless and consistent pursuit of self-interest to maximise their well-being. Nobel laureate Daniel McFadden: “We are in fact challenged by choice and we use all kinds of ways such as procrastination to avoid having to make choices. One of the reasons is that there are risks associated with making choices.”

The hedonic treadmill we are on can be characterised as not the pursuit happiness but the happiness of pursuit. That’s what that people really care about.

Source: Understanding better how people really make choices