No abstract

Since the introduction of Trader Alpha Frontier, this framework has been adopted by asset managers of all sizes, to monitor their trading performance. The next logical step is for Chief Investment Officers to incorporate Trader Alpha Frontier into their main view of portfolio returns. The author visualizes how CIOs can get a full insight in all alpha sources throughout the investment value chain including Analysts, Portfolio Managers, Traders, and Brokers.

No abstract

Trader performance is currently measured against various benchmarks without consideration for the volatility of trading results. The author introduces trader alpha frontier (TAF) as a way to measure trader performance against the risks taken by the trader. This article formulates how to carve out trader alpha from overall portfolio returns. It also explores trader performance attribution by delineating between the main components of trader alpha and suggesting benchmarks to measure each component. As a result, the author unveils a new benchmark, called execution-weighted price (EWP). It is tough to reach TAF, but it is worth the effort since it aligns the mutual objective of a portfolio manager and a trader to maximize overall portfolio performance.

We consider the problem of finding a strategy that tracks the volume weighted average price (VWAP) of a stock, a key measure of execution quality for large orders used by institutional investors. We obtain the optimal, dynamic, VWAP tracking strategy in closed form in a model without trading costs with general price and volume dynamics. We build a model of intraday volume using the Trade and Quote dataset to empirically test the strategy, both without trading costs and when trading has temporary and permanent effects, and find that the implementation cost is lower than the cost charged by brokerage houses.JEL classification: G12, G29, C61