Reading 31: Equity Portfolio Management－LOS h primary, discuss, investment, 2008

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CFA Institute Area 8-11, 13: Asset Valuation
Session 10: Equity Portfolio Management
Reading 31: Equity Portfolio Management
LOS h: Explain the rationales and primary concerns of value investors and growth investors and discuss the key risks of each investment style.

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If an equity style index has buffering rules, the index will have:

A) more turnover and there will be lower transactions costs from rebalancing for managers tracking the index.

B) less turnover and there will be higher transactions costs from rebalancing for managers tracking the index.

C) more turnover and there will be higher transactions costs from rebalancing for managers tracking the index.

D) less turnover and there will be lower transactions costs from rebalancing for managers tracking the index.

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Answer and Explanation

If an index has buffering rules, a stock is not immediately moved to a different style category when its style characteristics have slightly changed. The presence of buffering means that there will be less turnover in the style indices and hence lower transactions costs from rebalancing for managers tracking the index.

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Which of the following is most accurate regarding equity style index methodology? The justification for having just two categories of style (i.e., there is only value and growth and no neutral category) is that:

A) there is no historical precedent for having a neutral category.

B) neutral categories are hard to define.

C) having overlap in categories precludes a neutral category.

D) many investment managers have a clear value or growth mandate they must follow.

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Answer and Explanation

Most indices have just two categories, value and growth (i.e., there is no neutral style index). The justification for just two categories is that many investment managers have a clear value or growth mandate and they need a benchmark that is structured similar to their mandate.

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Which of the following is most accurate regarding equity style index methodology? Most equity style indices are constructed using:

A) holdings-based style analysis which would make buffering less necessary compared to using returns-based style analysis.

B) returns-based style analysis which would make buffering more necessary compared to using holdings-based style analysis.

C) returns-based style analysis which would make buffering less necessary compared to using holdings-based style analysis.

D) holdings-based style analysis which would make buffering more necessary compared to using returns-based style analysis.

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Answer and Explanation

Most indices use holdings-based style analysis to characterize securities. Holding-based style analysis detects style changes more quickly than returns-based style analysis. If an index has buffering rules, a stock is not immediately moved to a different style category when its style characteristics have slightly changed. Because holdings-based style analysis detects style changes more quickly, buffering would become more necessary so that there is not excessive turnover within the index.

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Which of the following is most accurate regarding equity style index methodology? If style is viewed as a quantity then:

A) stocks will be placed in either value or growth indices with no overlap.

B) there will be no neutral style index category.

C) the market cap of some stocks will be split between value and growth indices.

D) there will be a neutral style index category.

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Answer and Explanation

If style is viewed as a quantity, then there will be overlap when the style index is constructed. Some of a stocks market cap may be assigned to value and another part could be assigned to growth. This would occur when a stock is not clearly value or growth. Whether style is viewed as a quality or a quantity does not affect whether there will be a neutral category.