Turnover-Adjusted Information Ratio

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Turnover-Adjusted Information Ratio

Feng Zhang
Xi Wang
Honggao Cao
Published on 5/19/2021
Equities
Risk management
Factor investing

This paper extends the fundamental law of active investment management by introducing a turnover-adjusted information ratio (IR) that explicitly accounts for both the volatility of the information coefficient (IC) and the costs associated with portfolio turnover. Through mathematical derivations and simulations for mean-variance and quintile portfolios, the authors demonstrate that the turnover-adjusted IR is always lower than the classic IR that ignores turnover costs. More importantly, they find that contrary to the implication of the fundamental law—which suggests that higher breadth (more bets) always improves IR—investment managers can actually improve their performance by limiting or optimizing portfolio turnover. This result aligns with empirical evidence and provides a more realistic framework for evaluating active portfolio strategies.

Highlights

  • 1Extends the fundamental law of active management by incorporating both IC volatility and turnover costs
  • 2Derives a turnover-adjusted information ratio (IR) that is always lower than the classic IR
  • 3Shows that limiting portfolio turnover can improve investment performance, contrary to the fundamental law's implication
  • 4Provides mathematical derivations and simulations for both mean-variance and quintile portfolios

Methods

  • M
    Mathematical derivation of turnover-adjusted IR under mean-variance and quintile portfolio frameworks
  • M
    Monte Carlo simulations to compare classic IR vs. turnover-adjusted IR
  • M
    Analytical decomposition of IR into IC, breadth, and turnover cost components

Results

  • R
    Turnover-adjusted IR is always lower than the classic IR that ignores turnover costs
  • R
    Investment managers can improve IR by optimizing or limiting portfolio turnover
  • R
    The negative impact of turnover on IR is more pronounced when IC volatility is high
  • R
    Quintile portfolios exhibit similar turnover-adjusted IR behavior as mean-variance portfolios
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