Description

The World Country Developed strategy is a sub-strategy that picks the top country of the specified region. It is part of the World Top 4 investment strategy.

Methodology & Assets

SPY SPDR S&P 500 ETF
DIA SPDR Dow Jones Industrial Average ETF
EIRL iShares MSCI Ireland Capped
EIS iShares MSCI Israel
ENZL iShares MSCI New Zealand Investable Market
EPOL iShares MSCI Poland Index
EWA iShares MSCI Australia Index Fund
EWC iShares MSCI Canada Index Fund
EWD iShares MSCI Sweden Index
EWG iShares MSCI Germany Index
EWH iShares MSCI Hong Kong Index Fund
EWI iShares MSCI Italy Index
EWJ iShares MSCI Japan Index Fund
EWK iShares MSCI Belgium Index
EWL iShares MSCI Switzerland
EWM iShares MSCI Malaysia Index Fund
EWN iShares MSCI Netherlands Index
EWO iShares MSCI Austria Index
EWP iShares MSCI Spain Index
EWQ iShares MSCI France
EWU iShares MSCI United Kingdom Index
NORW Global X FTSE Norway 30 ETF
QQQ PowerShares Nasdaq-100 Index

From the HEDGE strategy:
GLD – SPDR Gold Shares
TLT– iShares Barclays Long-Term Treasuries (15-18yr)

Short Sectors:

SMN - ProShares UltraShort Basic Materials
ERY - Direxion Daily Energy Bear 3X ETF
SKF - ProShares UltraShort Financials
SIJ - ProShares UltraShort Industrial
REW - ProShares UltraShort Technology
RXD - ProShares UltraShort Health Car
SCC - ProShares UltraShort Consumer Service
SDP - ProShares UltraShort Utilities
SZK - ProShares UltraShort Consumer Goods

Statistics (YTD)

What do these metrics mean? [Read More] [Hide]

TotalReturn:

'The total return on a portfolio of investments takes into account not only the capital appreciation on the portfolio, but also the income received on the portfolio. The income typically consists of interest, dividends, and securities lending fees. This contrasts with the price return, which takes into account only the capital gain on an investment.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • The total return over 5 years of World Countries Developed is 195.6%, which is greater, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (107.6%) in the same period.
  • Looking at total return in of 70% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus better in comparison to SPY (48.1%).

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is a useful measure of growth over multiple time periods. It can be thought of as the growth rate that gets you from the initial investment value to the ending investment value if you assume that the investment has been compounding over the time period.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (15.8%) in the period of the last 5 years, the annual performance (CAGR) of 24.3% of World Countries Developed is higher, thus better.
  • During the last 3 years, the annual performance (CAGR) is 19.4%, which is larger, thus better than the value of 14% from the benchmark.

Volatility:

'Volatility is a rate at which the price of a security increases or decreases for a given set of returns. Volatility is measured by calculating the standard deviation of the annualized returns over a given period of time. It shows the range to which the price of a security may increase or decrease. Volatility measures the risk of a security. It is used in option pricing formula to gauge the fluctuations in the returns of the underlying assets. Volatility indicates the pricing behavior of the security and helps estimate the fluctuations that may happen in a short period of time.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The 30 days standard deviation over 5 years of World Countries Developed is 19.5%, which is higher, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (17.9%) in the same period.
  • Looking at 30 days standard deviation in of 19% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively larger, thus worse in comparison to SPY (18.3%).

DownVol:

'Downside risk is the financial risk associated with losses. That is, it is the risk of the actual return being below the expected return, or the uncertainty about the magnitude of that difference. Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the downside deviation of 13.3% in the last 5 years of World Countries Developed, we see it is relatively higher, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (12.5%)
  • During the last 3 years, the downside volatility is 12.7%, which is higher, thus worse than the value of 12.4% from the benchmark.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio is the measure of risk-adjusted return of a financial portfolio. Sharpe ratio is a measure of excess portfolio return over the risk-free rate relative to its standard deviation. Normally, the 90-day Treasury bill rate is taken as the proxy for risk-free rate. A portfolio with a higher Sharpe ratio is considered superior relative to its peers. The measure was named after William F Sharpe, a Nobel laureate and professor of finance, emeritus at Stanford University.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of 1.12 in the last 5 years of World Countries Developed, we see it is relatively larger, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (0.74)
  • Compared with SPY (0.63) in the period of the last 3 years, the risk / return profile (Sharpe) of 0.89 is greater, thus better.

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio measures the risk-adjusted return of an investment asset, portfolio, or strategy. It is a modification of the Sharpe ratio but penalizes only those returns falling below a user-specified target or required rate of return, while the Sharpe ratio penalizes both upside and downside volatility equally. Though both ratios measure an investment's risk-adjusted return, they do so in significantly different ways that will frequently lead to differing conclusions as to the true nature of the investment's return-generating efficiency. The Sortino ratio is used as a way to compare the risk-adjusted performance of programs with differing risk and return profiles. In general, risk-adjusted returns seek to normalize the risk across programs and then see which has the higher return unit per risk.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (1.06) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk / excess return profile of 1.64 of World Countries Developed is greater, thus better.
  • During the last 3 years, the ratio of annual return and downside deviation is 1.34, which is larger, thus better than the value of 0.93 from the benchmark.

Ulcer:

'The ulcer index is a stock market risk measure or technical analysis indicator devised by Peter Martin in 1987, and published by him and Byron McCann in their 1989 book The Investors Guide to Fidelity Funds. It's designed as a measure of volatility, but only volatility in the downward direction, i.e. the amount of drawdown or retracement occurring over a period. Other volatility measures like standard deviation treat up and down movement equally, but a trader doesn't mind upward movement, it's the downside that causes stress and stomach ulcers that the index's name suggests.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the Ulcer Index of 6 in the last 5 years of World Countries Developed, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (8.48 )
  • During the last 3 years, the Ulcer Index is 5.42 , which is lower, thus better than the value of 5.54 from the benchmark.

MaxDD:

'Maximum drawdown measures the loss in any losing period during a fund’s investment record. It is defined as the percent retrenchment from a fund’s peak value to the fund’s valley value. The drawdown is in effect from the time the fund’s retrenchment begins until a new fund high is reached. The maximum drawdown encompasses both the period from the fund’s peak to the fund’s valley (length), and the time from the fund’s valley to a new fund high (recovery). It measures the largest percentage drawdown that has occurred in any fund’s data record.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the maximum reduction from previous high of -17.3 days in the last 5 years of World Countries Developed, we see it is relatively higher, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-24.5 days)
  • Compared with SPY (-18.8 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum reduction from previous high of -17.3 days is higher, thus better.

MaxDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Max Drawdown Duration is the worst (the maximum/longest) amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs) in days.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Looking at the maximum days below previous high of 263 days in the last 5 years of World Countries Developed, we see it is relatively smaller, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (488 days)
  • During the last 3 years, the maximum days under water is 198 days, which is lower, thus better than the value of 199 days from the benchmark.

AveDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • The average days under water over 5 years of World Countries Developed is 61 days, which is smaller, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (119 days) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (45 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the average days under water of 52 days is higher, thus worse.

Performance (YTD)

Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data.

Allocations ()

Allocations

Returns (%)

  • Note that yearly returns do not equal the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
  • Performance results of World Countries Developed are hypothetical and do not account for slippage, fees or taxes.
  • Results may be based on backtesting, which has many inherent limitations, some of which are described in our Terms of Use.