As with all investment, it’s a question of timing
In the world of investing, everyone is always looking for a better mousetrap – a way to beat the market. One approach that is increasingly popular is to select shares based on specific “factors” – for example, the size of companies or their dividend yield. The trend has been given the ugly name of “smart beta”.
A recent survey of institutional investors showed three-quarters were either using or evaluating the approach. By the end of January some $534bn was invested in smart-beta exchange-traded funds, according to ETFGI, a research firm. Compound annual growth in assets under management in the sector has been 30% over the past five years.
The best argument for smart-beta funds is that they simply replicate, at lower cost, what fund managers are doing already. For example, many fund managers follow the “value” approach, seeking out shares that look cheap. A computer program can pick these stocks more methodically than an erratic human. A smart-beta fund does what it says on the tin.
But does it work? The danger here is “data mining”. Carry out enough statistical tests, and you will always find some strategy that worked in the past.