Winner Strategies in Crisis

Abstract

Research background: Since the publication of Markowitz’ Portfolio Selection Theory, researchers and practitioners have been searching for the optimal structure of investment portfolios. An unlimited number of portfolio-based investment strategies have been created since 1952. However, none of these strategies seem to continuously generate overperformance over a long time period. This may also be due to the strong dynamics of economic development and other external factors. Purpose of the article: The aim of this article is to analyze which strategies are successful in generating winning portfolios in times of crisis. Three types of crises are considered: first, the bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2001, second, the financial crisis of 2008, and finally, the performance impact of the corona crisis. Methods: The data of the S&P 500 and STOXX Europe 600 companies are analyzed. The first step is the statistical review of the performance of companies in different periods with the focus on the analysis of the crisis years. Subsequently, the formation of portfolios is carried out according to known key figures such as high-low PE ratio, high-low market-to-book ratio, and others. In the form of a regression analysis, selected fundamental data are used to statistically check their relevance for performance. Findings & Value added: The results shows that all crises have similarities in certain factors. However, they also show that companies with a digital business model are able to manage crises better than those without a digital business model.