Variable Selection for Portfolio Choice

Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research Working Paper No. 21-00

71 Pages Posted: 12 Mar 2001

See all articles by Yacine Ait-Sahalia

Yacine Ait-Sahalia

Princeton University - Department of Economics

Michael W. Brandt

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: February 2001

Abstract

We study asset allocation when the conditional moments of returns are partly predictable. Rather than first model the return distribution and subsequently characterize the portfolio choice, we determine directly the dependence of the optimal portfolio weights on the predictive variables. We combine the predictors into a single index that best captures time-variations in investment opportunities. This index helps investors determine which economic variables they should track and, more importantly, in what combination. We consider investors with both expected utility (mean-variance and CRRA) and non-expected utility (ambiguity aversion and prospect theory) objectives and characterize their market-timing, horizon effects, and hedging demands.

Suggested Citation

Ait-Sahalia, Yacine and Brandt, Michael W., Variable Selection for Portfolio Choice (February 2001). Rodney L. White Center for Financial Research Working Paper No. 21-00, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=263036 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.263036

Yacine Ait-Sahalia

Princeton University - Department of Economics ( email )

Fisher Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544
United States
609-258-4015 (Phone)
609-258-5398 (Fax)

Michael W. Brandt (Contact Author)

Duke University - Fuqua School of Business ( email )

1 Towerview Drive
Durham, NC 27708-0120
United States

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

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