Large-cap and small-cap

[sharky7]

If a strategic AA contains large-cap and small-cap, are asset classes correctly specified?
CFAI seems to be contradictory in this respect. I’ve done some questions in which they say correlation is that high that are not diversifiable, and others indirectly accept it.

 

[MrSmart]

Depends, they should be, yes.
Unless you have an international portfolio, I read in one of the TT that US large caps and small caps here was redundant. I need to recheck.

 

[cokemicho]

sharky7 wrote:
If a strategic AA contains large-cap and small-cap, are asset classes correctly specified?
CFAI seems to be contradictory in this respect. I’ve done some questions in which they say correlation is that high that are not diversifiable, and others indirectly accept it.

Arent you missing mid caps?? in order for your portfolio to be MECE ( mutually exclusive completely exhaustive)?

 

[MrSmart]

cokemicho wrote:

sharky7 wrote:
If a strategic AA contains large-cap and small-cap, are asset classes correctly specified?
CFAI seems to be contradictory in this respect. I’ve done some questions in which they say correlation is that high that are not diversifiable, and others indirectly accept it.

Arent you missing mid caps?? in order for your portfolio to be MECE ( mutually exclusive completely exhaustive)?

Not if the LC and SM are MECE.

 

[sharky7]

MrSmart wrote:
Depends, they should be, yes.
Unless you have an international portfolio, I read in one of the TT that US large caps and small caps here was redundant. I need to recheck.

What’s TT?

 

[MrSmart]

sharky7 wrote:

MrSmart wrote:
Depends, they should be, yes.
Unless you have an international portfolio, I read in one of the TT that US large caps and small caps here was redundant. I need to recheck.

What’s TT?

Topic tests.
Asset Allocation - Luo says it’s fine.
However, Asset Allocation - Kohler says midcaps are not.
Roth would most likely criticize the specification of mid-cap equities because they are not mutually exclusive with respect to domestic large-cap and small-cap equities. Asset class specification should support the purposes of strategic asset allocation. Domestic large-, mid-, and small-cap equities are assets within the asset class of domestic equities and have little diversification benefit between them, with the correlation between their returns being very high. Five criteria are helpful in effectively specifying asset classes:
1. Assets within an asset class should be relatively homogeneous.
2. Asset classes should be mutually exclusive.
3. Asset classes should be diversifying.
4. The asset classes as a group should make up the preponderance of world investable wealth.
5. The asset classes should have the capacity to absorb a significant fraction of the investor’s portfolio without seriously affecting the portfolio’s liquidity.
CFA Level III
“Asset Allocation,” William F. Sharpe, Peng Chen, Jerald E. Pinto, and Dennis W. McLeavey
Section 4.1

 

[sharky7]

Exactly, these are actually the TTs that raised my question