Investing Research Articles

Some experts argue that high (low) gasoline prices mean that consumers must allocate more (less) spending power to fuel, and therefore less (more) to other industries and stocks. Do data support this argument? To check, we relate U.S. stock market returns to changes in U.S. gasoline price changes. Using weekly average retail prices for regular gasoline in… Keep Reading

Below is a weekly summary of our research findings for 3/14/22 through 3/18/22. These summaries give you a quick snapshot of our content the past week so that you can quickly decide what’s relevant to your investing needs. Subscribers: To receive these weekly digests via email, click here to sign up for our mailing list.

Does the overnight return effect found pervasively among equity markets, as summarized in “Persistence of Overnight/Intraday Equity Market Return Patterns”, also hold for other asset classes? To investigate, we compare open-to-close (O-C) and close-to-open (C-O) average returns, standard deviations of returns and cumulative performances for the exchange-traded funds (ETF) used as asset class proxies in… Keep Reading

With reference to “Turn-of-the-Month Effect Persistence and Robustness” and “Persistence of Overnight/Intraday Equity Market Return Patterns”, a subscriber asked about a strategy that is long SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY) only from market close to market open during the turn-of-the-month (TOTM). To investigate, we consider three strategies: TOTM Close-to-Open: long SPY from close-to-open during… Keep Reading

A subscriber asked which asset (short stocks, cash, bonds by subclass) is best to hold during equity bear markets. To investigate, we consider two ways to define a bear market: (1) months when SPDR S&P 500 (SPY) is below its 10-month simple moving average (SMA10) at the end of the prior month; and, (2) months… Keep Reading

…long-run data offers stronger evidence for a stock market model based on the real earnings yield than for a model that compares the earnings yield to the long-term bond yield. It also suggests: (1) a substantial structural break in the relationship between earnings yield and inflation about 1960; and, (2) the possibility of using real earnings yield variability in estimating an expected real earnings yield.

A subscriber proposed adding Utilities Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLU) to the Simple Asset Class ETF Momentum Strategy (SACEMS) asset universe based on the relatively low correlation of XLU with the broad U.S. stock market. To investigate, we: Expand the SACEMS asset universe to include XLU. Generate performance data for this expanded universe for the… Keep Reading

Below is a weekly summary of our research findings for 3/7/22 through 3/11/22. These summaries give you a quick snapshot of our content the past week so that you can quickly decide what’s relevant to your investing needs. Subscribers: To receive these weekly digests via email, click here to sign up for our mailing list.

A subscriber asked whether traders should enter a position in gold, as proxied by SPDR Gold Shares (GLD), whenever Commercial gold futures traders are net long and Non-commercial gold future traders (Speculators) are net short. To investigate, we: Obtain from the Commodity Futures Trading Commission weekly gold Commitments of Traders (CoT) legacy reports (futures only)… Keep Reading

Investors arguably expect that investments generate returns in excess of the inflation rate. Do different measures of the inflation rate indicate materially different yield discounts? To investigate, we relate 12-month trailing S&P 500 annual operating earnings yield (E/P), S&P 500 12-month trailing annual dividend yield, 10-year U.S. Treasury note (T-note) yield and 3-month U.S. Treasury… Keep Reading