betting against beta beta - Betting Against betaAQR Constrained investors hold high-beta assets Unpacking the Strategy: Betting Against Beta in Investment Portfolios

Betting against betaSSRN The investment world is constantly seeking an edge, and one fascinating strategy that has garnered significant academic and practical attention is betting against betaBetting Against Beta r/investing This approach challenges conventional financial wisdom by suggesting that it's not always about chasing higher returns through increased riskBetting Against Beta Instead, the betting-against-beta (BAB) strategy often involves a counter-intuitive approach: going long on low-beta assets and shorting high-beta assets作者：LH Pedersen·被引用次数：6—Constrained investors hold high-beta assetswhile unconstrained investors hold low-beta assets and possibly apply leverage. ➢ Evidence from equity positions ➢ 

The core idea behind betting against beta stems from the observation that, contrary to the traditional Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) which posits a linear relationship between risk (beta) and expected return, in practice, high beta assets trade at a premium while their lower-beta counterparts may trade at a discount佛历2567831—We propose aBetting Against Bad Beta factor, built by double-sorting on beta and bad-beta and find that it improves the overall performance of BAB strategies. This anomaly is often attributed to the behavior of different investor types佛历256886—We present a model in which some investors are prohibited from using leverage and other investors' leverage is limited by margin  For instance, research by LH Pedersen and others suggests that constrained investors hold high-beta assets, perhaps due to regulatory limitations or a desire for amplified returns, while unconstrained investors might have the flexibility to leverage into lower-beta assetsBetting Against Beta - Yale Department of Economics This dynamic can lead to an inefficient pricing of riskBetting Against Beta

The Mechanics of Betting Against Beta

At its heart, the Betting Against Beta factor is typically constructed as a zero-cost zero-beta portfolio that is long on the low-beta portfolio and shorts the high-beta portfolioBetting Against (Bad) Beta The process of constructing such a portfolio often begins with ranking all assets according to their estimated betas at various time intervalsBetting Against Beta - Yale Department of Economics For instance, the study exploring the phenomenon in the Indian market describes this initial ranking as a fundamental stepBetting Against Beta Factor in International Equities Subsequently, the strategy involves building a portfolio of assets exhibiting low betas and simultaneously shorting assets with high betasBetting Against Beta in Brazil This creates a portfolio with an overall beta close to zero, aiming to capture the risk premium anomaly irrespective of broad market movements佛历2567831—We propose aBetting Against Bad Beta factor, built by double-sorting on beta and bad-beta and find that it improves the overall performance of BAB strategies.

A critical aspect of this strategy is understanding what a beta represents佛历255711—This behavior of tilting toward beta suggestshigh-beta assets require lower risk-adjusted returnsthan low-beta assets. A fund with a beta very close to 1 means the fund's performance closely mirrors the index or benchmark it's compared againstWe find that a similar BAB factor earns significant positive returns in India. The returns on the BAB factor dominate the returns on the size, value and  A beta greater than 1 indicates greater volatility relative to the market, meaning it's expected to move more than the market, both up and down作者：S CEDERBURG·2016·被引用次数：144—59%. Our analysis suggests that the per- ceived abnormal performance frombetting against betais largely erased after properly incorporating conditioning  Conversely, a beta less than 1 suggests lower volatility作者：S CEDERBURG·2016·被引用次数：144—3 Panel A shows that this strategy'sbetais inversely related to the log dividend yield for the market portfolio, which is a positive predictor of the equity  The anomaly arises because, empirically, high-beta assets require lower risk-adjusted returns than low-beta assets, contradicting the expected linear relationshipBetting Against Beta r/investing

Variations and Refinements of the Strategy

The betting against beta concept is not monolithic and has seen several theoretical and practical extensions作者：R Novy-Marx·2018·被引用次数：154—Frazzini and Pedersen's (FP)Betting Against Beta(BAB, 2014) is an unmitigated academic success. It is, at the time of this writing, the fourth most downloaded  One notable development is the Betting Against Bad Beta factor, which goes a step further by double-sorting on both beta and "bad beta(PDF) Betting Against Beta" A "bad beta" can be interpreted as exposure to particularly undesirable market factor movementsWe find that a similar BAB factor earns significant positive returns in India. The returns on the BAB factor dominate the returns on the size, value and  By refining the selection process, this approach aims to improve the overall performance of BAB strategies, suggesting that simply considering overall beta might not be sufficient佛历2567831—We propose aBetting Against Bad Beta factor, built by double-sorting on beta and bad-beta and find that it improves the overall performance of BAB strategies.

Another area of research explores enhancing the betting-against-beta (BAB) investment strategy by controlling for other factors, such as stochastic dominanceThe “Betting-Against-Beta” is thezero-cost zero-beta portfolio thatis long on the low-beta portfolio and that shorts the high-beta portfolio. Research by O Kolokolova in 2024 showed that by controlling for the stochastic dominance relation, the performance of the BAB strategy could be improvedThe BAB strategy involvesgoing long on low-beta assets and shorting high-beta assets. This means buying assets with lower risk and short-selling assets with  This indicates that sophisticated portfolio construction techniques can further optimize the returns generated by betting against beta作者：A Frazzini·2010·被引用次数：3123—We present a model in which some investors are prohibited from using leverage and other investors' leverage is limited by margin requirements.

Furthermore, the betting against beta anomaly has been observed and tested in various markets, including Betting Against Beta in the Indian Market, Betting Against Beta in Brazil, and even in Thai stock marketsBetting Against Betting Against Beta - mySimon These studies collectively demonstrate that the underlying principles of investor behavior leading to this anomaly are not confined to a single geographyInvestor behavior and the beta anomaly Who benefits from In some markets, like India, the BAB factor has shown returns that dominate those of size and value factors, highlighting its potential significanceBetting Against Beta in the Indian Market

Investor Behavior and the "Bad Beta" Anomaly

The underlying reasons for betting against beta are deeply rooted in investor behavior and market structureFull article Betting Against (Bad) Beta The concept of constrained investors hold high-beta assets is crucial hereBetting Against (Bad) Beta These constraints, which can include margin requirements or regulatory limitations on leverage, can force certain investors to hold higher-beta assets to achieve their desired return targetsThe BAB strategy involvesgoing long on low-beta assets and shorting high-beta assets. This means buying assets with lower risk and short-selling assets with  Conversely, investors with more flexibility, including the ability to use leverage, can take positions in lower-beta assets, potentially magnifying their returnsBetting Against Beta in the Indian Market

This dynamic can lead to certain market participants effectively "selling" the beta risk at a premium作者：LH Pedersen·被引用次数：6—Constrained investors hold high-beta assetswhile unconstrained investors hold low-beta assets and possibly apply leverage. ➢ Evidence from equity positions ➢  The academic success of Betting Against Beta by A Frazzini and LH Pedersen in 2014, a seminal paper in the field, has spurred further investigation作者：S CEDERBURG·2016·被引用次数：144—59%. Our analysis suggests that the per- ceived abnormal performance frombetting against betais largely erased after properly incorporating conditioning  Their work, and subsequent research, like that by R Novy-Marx in 2018, which examined the implications and academic reception of their findings, continues to shape the understanding of this anomaly佛历2567831—We propose aBetting Against Bad Beta factor, built by double-sorting on beta and bad-beta and find that it improves the overall performance of BAB strategies.

The idea that high-beta assets require lower risk-adjusted returns is the fundamental observation that drives the strategy作者：R Bradrania·2026—Our results show that foreign institutions tradeagainst betaon average, increasing their holdings of low-betastocks and reducing exposure to high-betastocks  Investors who understand this and can implement the necessary trades—going long on low-beta assets and shorting high-beta assets—can potentially earn abnormal returnsWe find that a similar BAB factor earns significant positive returns in India. The returns on the BAB factor dominate the returns on the size, value and  However, it's important to note that properly incorporating conditioning factors can significantly impact the perceived abnormal performance, as highlighted in research from S CederburgThe “Betting-Against-Beta” is thezero-cost zero-beta portfolio thatis long on the low-beta portfolio and that shorts the high-beta portfolio.

The implementation of betting against beta can manifest in various forms, including through ETFs and specific investment funds that aim to replicate the strategy作者：S Thongkingkaew·2015—The return of the betting-against-beta (BAB) portfolio isa portfolio that is long leveraged low beta stocksand that short-sells de-leveraged  For investors looking to understand the practical application, exploring resources on Betting Against Beta ETF or the Betting Against Beta strategy itself provides further insightBetting Against Beta - Yale Department of Economics The pursuit of alpha in the investment landscape often involves identifying and exploiting such market inefficiencies, and betting against beta stands as a prime example of this endeavor, challenging traditional risk-return paradigmsA fund with abetavery close to 1 means the fund's performance closely matches the index or benchmark. Abetagreater than 1 indicates greater  The effectiveness of this strategy, particularly with its variations like the Betting Against Bad Beta factor, continues to be a subject of rigorous academic and practitioner analysis, offering valuable lessons on market dynamics and investor psychologyBetting Against Beta - Yale Department of Economics