Diversification is a negative price lunch
(outcastbeta.com)
We will see how the diversification assessment framework provided by conventional finance theory is not applicable to what long-term investors really care about – compounded returns. As long-term investors care about geometric (instead of arithmetic) expected return, we will find that diversifiable risk is not only uncompensated but costly. As a consequence, diversification is not only free, but negative price lunch. What are the implications of all this? Let’s have a look.
We will see how the diversification assessment framework provided by conventional finance theory is not applicable to what long-term investors really care about – compounded returns. As long-term investors care about geometric (instead of arithmetic) expected return, we will find that diversifiable risk is not only uncompensated but costly. As a consequence, diversification is not only free, but negative price lunch. What are the implications of all this? Let’s have a look.