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This study delves into the performance of Indonesian state-owned enterprises (BUMN) stocks from February 2021 to October 2023, attracting investor attention due to their strategic position in the national economy. However, the stock performance during this period exhibited suboptimal movements, failing to surpass the returns of the Indonesia Stock Exchange Composite Index (IHSG). To address this, a prudent investment strategy is essential, encompassing portfolio construction and management. In portfolio construction, the study employs proven smart beta strategies, known for delivering superior returns compared to traditional portfolios. Portfolio management involves testing two strategies: a passive approach utilizing the buy-and-hold technique and an active approach employing portfolio recomposition. This quantitative descriptive study utilizes historical closing price data, forming portfolios based on selected beta groups. Weighting is adjusted, with higher beta stocks receiving a larger allocation in the portfolio. The research compares two beta groups (high and low) and two investment strategies (active and passive) using the Sharpe, Treynor, and Jensen indices. The results indicate that the high-beta group and active strategy outperform, aligning with the investment adage "high risk, high return." The high-beta group yields higher returns due to its increased risk profile, consistent with the notion of high-risk, high-reward investments. The active strategy provides opportunities to discard underperforming stocks and enhance the weighting of well-performing ones during recomposition. These findings are valuable for investors seeking to capitalize on BUMN stocks at lower prices. The study aids in minimizing negative returns (losses) by identifying the most suitable strategy for BUMN portfolios. Investors can leverage this research to make informed decisions and navigate the challenges associated with investing in state-owned enterprises.

The collective investment schemes in Kenya have witnessed increased volatility in their earnings, resulting in irregular growth in the industry. This necessitates the need to understand the factors contributing to poor financial returns from collective investment schemes. Hence this study sought to investigate the effect of equity investments and bond investments on Kenyan CIS’s performance. The specific objectives were: To assess the effect of equity investments, bond investments on financial performance of collective investment schemes in Kenya. The study was anchored on: modern portfolio theory and the efficient market hypothesis. The positivism philosophy was applied, with the firms adopting an explanatory research design. The target population was 17 Collective Investment Schemes registered by the Capital Markets Authority and were operational in the period 2010 to 2018.  Secondary data was sought from the Capital Markets Authority Annual reports and from the respective websites of the CIS’. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlational analysis and panel regression analysis. Hypotheses were tested at a significance level of 0.05. Findings indicate that equity investment, bond investments have an insignificant effect on CIS’ return on assets. Further, equity investments had a positive and significant effect on liquidity whereas bond investments had an insignificant effect on liquidity. The study recommends that CISs actively revise their equity investments and bond investments to stimulate financial returns.

The paper concentrates on value and size effects in country portfolios. It contributes to academic literature threefold. First, I provide fresh evidence that the value and size effects may be useful in explaining the cross-sectional variation in country returns. The computations are based on a broad sample of 66 countries in years 2000-2013. Second, I document that the country-level value and size effects are indifferent to currency conversions. Finally, I introduce an alternative macro-level Fama-French model, which, contrary to its prototype, employs country-based factors. I show that applying this modification makes the model more successful in evaluation of funds with global investment mandate than the standard CAPM and FF models.

Using intraday trading data during the 2008 financial crisis, from the Standard and Poor’s Depository Receipt (SPDR) market, we test for evidence of the informational advantage of traders. In addition, we examine the effect of pricing error on trade price. If traders are rational, and have accurate information, they will only purchase an asset at a premium (discount) if they have reason to believe that the fundamental value of that asset will increase (decrease). Our results show that the trading price of the SPDR does not significantly predict the movement of underlying asset values. This finding is consistent with traders overreacting to disparities between price and underlying value during the financial crisis.

<p>In this paper we analyse and show how price discovery process influence the volatility of stocks. Using a theoretical approach, our initial analysis revealed that stocks experience ‘normal’ volatility as the price move from one equilibrium price to another as part of the price discovery process. Our further analysis revealed that, due to the inefficiency of financial markets, stocks also experience transitionary volatility which occurs when the price transition from one equilibrium price to another. The implication of these analytical findings means that the price discovery volatility effects can only be reduced by improving the efficiency of financial markets. Thus, we recommended that the financial microstructure be designed in a manner that promotes the efficiency of financial markets.      </p>

Market participants usually seek exposure to global beta which are best achieved usually through large capitalization equities where higher idiosyncratic risk represents a potential source of alpha. This study empirically explored the persistence and drivers of idiosyncratic risk across the S&P 500, CAC 40, FTSE 100, DAX, and Nikkei 225 for a period of 20 years (2004 – 2024). Utilizing a quantitative risk decomposition framework, the analysis revealed a stark dichotomy where the S&P 500 exhibits minimal idiosyncratic risk, functioning as a proxy for global systematic factors. The Nikkei 225 was dominated by idiosyncratic risk which can be attributed to the unique domestic monetary policy. The European counterparts occupied a middle ground, with idiosyncratic risk amplified by sectoral concentrations. The correlation analysis further suggested a deep regional integration within the European markets and a diversification potential with the Japanese equity market. The findings challenged the notion that globalization has harmonized global financial market returns. These findings also demonstrates that idiosyncratic risk remains a significant and potentially compensable component of the concept of international investing, necessitating a strategic shift towards factor aware asset allocation.

Traditional asset pricing models assume rational investors and informational efficiency. However, persistent anomalies, and recurrent financial crises challenge these assumptions. This study synthesizes findings from leading international research to evaluate how cognitive biases shape asset prices and provides a comprehensive review and synthesis of behavioral asset pricing in international financial markets over a period from 2004 to 2024. Evidence from the extensive stock market data, cross-market behavioral heterogeneity and survey-based risk premia consistently demonstrates that behavioral effects are time-varying and regime-dependent. The findings indicate that behavioral heterogeneity intensifies during boom and bubble periods, diminishes during crashes, and generates predictable patterns in returns across asset classes and countries. Overall, the study re-iterates support for a dynamic behavioral asset pricing framework that integrates psychological factors into international financial market analysis.

Herding behaviour has been shown to significantly influence market performance over the years, often leading to mispricing of assets due to asset bubbles. This study aimed to analyse herding behaviour on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) before, during and after COVID-19. A cross-sectional absolute deviation (CSAD) model was used to determine the presence of herding during the specified periods, from the 1st of January 2018 to the 31st of January 2024, while causes and implications were explored further to offer a better understanding of herding behaviour. Herding behaviour was detected in all observed periods, which was not anticipated, which raised the need to discuss the policies in place to curb irrational investor behaviour. The evidence suggests that portfolio managers should understand that herding behaviour can cause market movements that are not necessarily rational or based on fundamentals. Instead, the results indicate that prices can be influenced by collective sentiment. As such, portfolio managers can assess the risks associated with blindly following the crowd and formulate strategies to avoid it. Portfolio managers can also educate their clients on the risks associated with herding behaviour to set realistic expectations and prioritise long-term stability over short-term trends.

This research investigates how the overall mood of investors influences the profits of the major commercial banks traded on the JSE. Although behavioural factors are increasingly acknowledged in financial markets, there is very little empirical evidence that investor sentiment has any impact on the South African banking sector, despite this sector being the main driver of financial stability and economic growth. This study investigated whether investor sentiment has a significant impact on bank stock returns in both the short and long term. The research period ranged from September 2008 to March 2025 and used monthly return data. The paper implements the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to illustrate immediate and long-term relationships between sentiment, macroeconomic variables, and bank performance. The findings demonstrate that investor sentiment is one of the significant factors influencing bank stock returns, but the effect varies between different banks. Sentiment, on average, tends to have a negative effect on the majority of banks in the long run, which means that in times of extreme optimistimism  are followed by those of overvaluation and subsequent correction. However, one bank revealed a positive return-sentiment relationship which suggests that characteristics unique to a specific bank can have a moderating effect on behavioural factors. The short-run outcomes indicate that bank stock returns are very reactive to changes in sentiment and macroeconomic shocks and at the same time, diagnostic tests for model reliability support these results. The paper contributes to behavioural finance literature by delivering fresh data derived from an emerging market and providing an answer to the problem of bank-level disaggregated analysis that has been neglected. In addition to the theoretical contributions, the results can be turned into actionable insights by investors, policymakers, and portfolio managers who will be reminded of the importance of including sentiment indicators in their bank performance assessment and risk management activities in the South African financial sector.

This study provides a contemporary analysis of the dynamic interplay between persistent trends and short-term stochastic movements in international financial markets, challenging the traditional view of an efficient market. Through a quantitative examination of the S&P 500, FTSE 100, Nikkei 225, DAX, and CAC 40 using daily closing prices from 2000 to 2023, the research employs a 50-day SMA to identify trends and a 14-day stochastic oscillator to gauge whether some financial markets are overbought or oversold. The findings reveal distinct, regime-dependent market behaviors across different economies, with strong uptrends in the United States and Germany contrasting with weaker trends in the United Kingdom and France and a downtrend in Japan. The results empirically demonstrate that a trend following strategy, which goes long during uptrends and remains neutral during downtrends, consistently enhances risk adjusted returns and preserves capital compared to a static buy and hold approach. Furthermore, correlation analysis emphasis that effective global diversification requires an understanding of synchronous market regimes, not just holding different assets. The findings of this study suggest that disciplined, regime aware framework, integrating both trend and momentum signals, is essential for robust global asset allocation in today's complex financial landscape making it a noteworthy contribution.