Dow 30 Strategy low volatility

TotalReturn:

'Total return, when measuring performance, is the actual rate of return of an investment or a pool of investments over a given evaluation period. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions realized over a given period of time. Total return accounts for two categories of return: income including interest paid by fixed-income investments, distributions or dividends and capital appreciation, representing the change in the market price of an asset.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (72.2%) in the period of the last 5 years, the total return, or increase in value of 14.5% of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is lower, thus worse.
• Compared with SPY (79.9%) in the period of the last 3 years, the total return of 17.5% is lower, thus worse.

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.'

• The annual return (CAGR) over 5 years of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is 2.8%, which is smaller, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (11.5%) in the same period.
• During the last 3 years, the annual performance (CAGR) is 5.6%, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 21.8% from the benchmark.

Volatility:

'In finance, volatility (symbol σ) is the degree of variation of a trading price series over time as measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security.'

• Looking at the historical 30 days volatility of 15.5% in the last 5 years of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (17.3%)
• Looking at historical 30 days volatility in of 15.5% in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively higher, thus worse in comparison to SPY (15.5%).

DownVol:

'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.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (12%) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk of 11.1% of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is lower, thus better.
• Compared with SPY (10.4%) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside risk of 11% is larger, thus worse.

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.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.52) in the period of the last 5 years, the risk / return profile (Sharpe) of 0.02 of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is lower, thus worse.
• Looking at ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) in of 0.2 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (1.25).

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio, a variation of the Sharpe ratio only factors in the downside, or negative volatility, rather than the total volatility used in calculating the Sharpe ratio. The theory behind the Sortino variation is that upside volatility is a plus for the investment, and it, therefore, should not be included in the risk calculation. Therefore, the Sortino ratio takes upside volatility out of the equation and uses only the downside standard deviation in its calculation instead of the total standard deviation that is used in calculating the Sharpe ratio.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.75) in the period of the last 5 years, the downside risk / excess return profile of 0.02 of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is smaller, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the downside risk / excess return profile is 0.28, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 1.85 from the benchmark.

Ulcer:

'Ulcer Index is a method for measuring investment risk that addresses the real concerns of investors, unlike the widely used standard deviation of return. UI is a measure of the depth and duration of drawdowns in prices from earlier highs. Using Ulcer Index instead of standard deviation can lead to very different conclusions about investment risk and risk-adjusted return, especially when evaluating strategies that seek to avoid major declines in portfolio value (market timing, dynamic asset allocation, hedge funds, etc.). The Ulcer Index was originally developed in 1987. Since then, it has been widely recognized and adopted by the investment community. According to Nelson Freeburg, editor of Formula Research, Ulcer Index is “perhaps the most fully realized statistical portrait of risk there is.'

• The Downside risk index over 5 years of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is 11 , which is greater, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (8.46 ) in the same period.
• Looking at Ulcer Ratio in of 10 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively greater, thus worse in comparison to SPY (3.22 ).

MaxDD:

'Maximum drawdown is defined as the peak-to-trough decline of an investment during a specific period. It is usually quoted as a percentage of the peak value. The maximum drawdown can be calculated based on absolute returns, in order to identify strategies that suffer less during market downturns, such as low-volatility strategies. However, the maximum drawdown can also be calculated based on returns relative to a benchmark index, for identifying strategies that show steady outperformance over time.'

• Looking at the maximum DrawDown of -24.3 days in the last 5 years of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility, we see it is relatively greater, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-24.5 days)
• During the last 3 years, the maximum drop from peak to valley is -24.3 days, which is lower, thus worse than the value of -18.8 days from the benchmark.

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.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (488 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum time in days below previous high water mark of 541 days of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is greater, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the maximum days under water is 287 days, which is higher, thus worse than the value of 87 days from the benchmark.

AveDuration:

'The Average Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. 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.'

• Compared with the benchmark SPY (117 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the average days under water of 174 days of Dow 30 Strategy low volatility is larger, thus worse.
• During the last 3 years, the average days below previous high is 90 days, which is higher, thus worse than the value of 17 days from the benchmark.