Abstract:

This study addresses the optimal asset allocation problem for investors managing a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds, and hedge funds. Significant allocations to hedge funds may be justified due to their diversification benefits, even when hedge funds generate minimal or no alpha. For instance, an investor with constant relative risk aversion and concern for inter-temporal utility should allocate around 20% to hedge funds, even under the assumption of zero alpha. Contrary to conventional wisdom, historical correlations and specified alpha levels indicate that equity and event-driven hedge fund strategies offer the greatest diversification advantages, while global macro and managed futures strategies are less favorable. However, optimal hedge fund allocations are highly sensitive to alpha assumptions. If alphas fall below -1%, the allocation to hedge funds typically approaches zero, whereas an alpha above 2% can lead the investor to allocate nearly 100% to hedge funds. This sensitivity also applies to individual hedge fund strategies. Finally, given that investing in many different hedge funds can be cost-prohibitive, we assess the allocation impact of investing in a limited number of hedge funds instead of a broad, uninvestable index. While reducing the number of hedge funds in a portfolio can substantially increase the likelihood that hedge funds will diminish investor utility when drawn from standard databases, we find compelling risk-adjusted performance when building allocations based on institutional-quality funds that are underrepresented in standard databases.

Authors:

Gregory W. Brown, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, Institute for Private Capital
Juha Joenväärä, Aalto University School of Business
Christian T. Lundblad, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School
Richard Maxwell, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School