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On June 2^nd, Vanguard announced they were redefining the indices tracked by four of their ETFs.^* These are: Vanguard Emerging Markets ETF (VWO), Vanguard Developed Markets ETF (VEA), Vanguard European Stock ETF (VGK), and Vanguard Pacific Stock ETF (VPL). The transition will result in each ETF including small cap stocks. In addition,

We are pleased that Becker, Gürtler and Hibbeln (BGH), authors of “Markowitz versus Michaud: Portfolio Optimization Strategies Reconsidered,” are interested in assessing the investment value of Michaud optimization (Michaud 1990, Michaud and Michaud 2008), relative to Markowitz (1952, 1959). As they note, Markowitz and Usmen (MU) (2003) compared Markowitz vs. Michaud efficient frontier optimization in a simulation study...

The market for Target Date Funds (TDFs) has exploded in the last few years. These funds are popular among investors because they provide a sense of risk protection at a low cost. However, many issues have been rightly noted about these funds. Much has been...

New Frontier’s GSAA funds attempt to capture every risk factor of the market that is available through exchange traded funds. Since their introduction in 1989-90, ETFs have proliferated and flourished as investment vehicles because of their attractive features of lower expense ratio, transparency, liquidity, tax structure, and stock-like trading. New ETFs are created continuall ...

Let’s assume that you want an excellent asset allocation, one designed to take on a particular level of risk while providing an expectation that the return will exceed returns generated without that risk. Michaud optimization, applied to a comprehensive global universe of funds providing exposure to multiple risk premia, gives a...

When reporters talk about volatility, recessions, depressions, bubbles, and other fear-inducing financial news and opinions, clients often pull their money from the portfolio that they carefully selected in an urge to protect their assets. However, investors who stick to their long-term plan and rational investments tend to outperform investors who trade reactively. Part of th ...

As you know, US Treasury rates are low by historic standards, but comparing current developed global yields shows that the US treasury rates are not outliers.  The US ten year treasury rate is at 2.5%.  Notably, other ten year rates are lower. The German ten year rate is at 0.99%, the French ten year bond is at 1.35%, and Japan continues their well-documented low with a current ...

New Frontier submitted this comment to the SEC and DOL in response to File No. S7-12-10. The False Promise of Target Date Funds as QDIA Investments The Department of Labor (DOL) should disallow blanket fiduciary relief for target date funds (TDFs) as qualified default investment alternatives (QDIAs). Our recent research (Esch and Michaud, 2014) based on thousands of simulatio ...

At investment conferences around the country, we’ve had the opportunity to answer many of the questions facing advisors today. This blog post highlights examples of questions that help and hinder thinking about investments. Let’s pick on some questions that may be unproductive to ask because they get investors thinking like speculators: for example, what’s the S&P500 (or ten year bonds or Tesla) going to be at by the end of the year?

Many investors are currently afflicted with “market regret” disease. Spooked by the great 2008 meltdown, they cashed out and watched from the sidelines while the market, including a 32% return in 2013, tripled beginning in March 2009. Others may have invested in exotic low risk strategies that often did not meet objectives or even succeed in preserving capital. With indices ne ...