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How to Build Your Portfolio Like a Professional Institution

By AlgoAlpha
Investing at the institutional level involves a sophisticated blend of strategies, risk management, and performance measurement to achieve optimal returns. One of the cornerstones of creating an institutional-grade portfolio is the use of optimization methods, with particular focus on ratios such as the Sharpe Ratio, Sortino Ratio, and Omega Ratio. In this guide, we'll delve into what these ratios are, how they differ, and when to use each to construct a robust institutional-grade portfolio.

Understanding the Ratios

Sharpe Ratio
  • Definition: The Sharpe Ratio, developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, measures the performance of an investment compared to a risk-free asset, after adjusting for its risk. It is calculated by subtracting the risk-free rate from the return of the portfolio and dividing by the standard deviation of the portfolio's excess returns.
  • Usefulness: This ratio helps investors understand how much excess return they are receiving for the extra volatility that they endure for holding a riskier asset. A higher Sharpe Ratio indicates a more attractive risk-adjusted return.

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Sortino Ratio
  • Definition: Similar to the Sharpe Ratio, the Sortino Ratio also measures the risk-adjusted return of an investment portfolio. However, it differs by only considering downside volatility (negative returns) rather than the total volatility of returns.
  • Usefulness: This focus on downside risk makes the Sortino Ratio particularly useful for investors who are more concerned about potential losses than the overall volatility. A higher Sortino Ratio indicates that the portfolio is efficiently earning more on its downside risk.

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Omega Ratio
  • Definition: The Omega Ratio is a more comprehensive measure that divides the returns above a certain threshold (typically the risk-free rate) by the returns below that threshold. It considers all the moments of the distribution of returns, not just the first two moments (mean and variance) like the Sharpe and Sortino ratios.
  • Usefulness: This ratio is especially valuable for portfolios that do not follow a normal distribution of returns, providing a more holistic view of performance across different risk levels. A higher Omega Ratio indicates better performance per unit of risk.

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How They Differ

The primary difference among these ratios lies in how they measure risk and returns:

  • Sharpe Ratio considers the total volatility (standard deviation) of portfolio returns, treating all volatility as equal.
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  • Sortino Ratio improves on this by focusing only on downside risk, which is more relevant for investors concerned about losses.
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  • Omega Ratio goes further by considering the entire distribution of returns, offering insights into the performance across all levels of risk.
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Situational Use

  • Sharpe Ratio: Ideal for general comparisons of portfolio performance where the investor is concerned with both upside and downside volatility. It's particularly useful when comparing portfolios or investments with similar risk profiles. This ratio is commonly used by most large financial institutions due to the large sums of money they manage and ensuring portfolio stability is prioritized over larger profits.

  • Sortino Ratio: Best used when the investor's primary concern is with the downside risk rather than total volatility. This ratio is suitable for portfolios where strategies are aimed at minimizing losses rather than capturing every potential upside. This ratio is used by investors who are able to stomach more volatility in their portfolio in return for a higher probability of gains while effectively reducing equity downside.

  • Omega Ratio: Most beneficial for analyzing portfolios with non-normal distributions of returns, such as those including options, leveraged investments, or hedge funds. It provides a nuanced view of performance across different levels of risk, making it suitable for sophisticated investment strategies that aim to manage risk in a more granular manner. Due to the nature of this ratio, only investors who have a larger risk appetite and require aggressive growth should use this ratio as the omega ratio will not necessarily be affected by high portfolio drawdowns as long as the runups are significantly higher. This means a portfolio could experience a 60% drawdown, followed by a 1000% runup, and the Omega Ratio calculation would return a high value as the probability of gains still outweigh the probability of losses.


Conclusion

Constructing an institutional-grade portfolio requires a nuanced understanding of both the opportunities and risks present in the investment landscape. By leveraging the Sharpe, Sortino, and Omega ratios, investors can better assess the risk-adjusted performance of their portfolios, tailoring their investment strategies to meet specific risk and return objectives. Whether you're managing a conservative fund focused on minimizing losses or a dynamic portfolio seeking to capitalize on market inefficiencies, these ratios provide critical insights that can help optimize your investment approach for superior risk-adjusted returns.
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