Practical Applications of Diversification Benefits, Where Art Thou?

Practical Applications Summary In Diversification Benefits, Where Art Thou?, in the Winter 2019 edition of The Journal of Wealth Management, authors Sam Pittman, Amneet Singh, and Sangeetha Srinivasan, all of Russell Investments, consider how diversification may improve risk-adjusted returns (RARs) and what asset sectors may deliver those benefits. The authors examine whether exposure to some asset classes neutralizes the benefits from holding other asset classes, and how the returns from naive diversification match up to those from other approaches. Prompted by increasing investor skepticism over the advantages of diversification, the authors construct optimal fixed-weight portfolios with volatilities equal to those of three US-centric benchmark portfolios. They consider the historical benefits from diversifying into international equities, real assets, and below-investment-grade bonds. The authors draw from 15 different asset classes, to discern the regularity and magnitude of RAR improvement from diversification over five-year holding periods. They find that certain asset classes deliver diversification benefits more reliably than others; that some asset classes’ diversification benefits are dampened by the presence of other asset classes; and that portfolio returns from diversified holdings are subject to cyclicality that has longer wavelengths than the US business cycle. History implies the benefits of diversification will return, the authors note. TOPICS: Wealth management, retirement, portfolio construction