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Losing money with a high Sharpe ratio

Risk Management 2011-09-06 v1

Abstract

A simple example shows that losing all money is compatible with a very high Sharpe ratio (as computed after losing all money). However, the only way that the Sharpe ratio can be high while losing money is that there is a period in which all or almost all money is lost. This note explores the best achievable Sharpe and Sortino ratios for investors who lose money but whose one-period returns are bounded below (or both below and above) by a known constant.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.1109.0706,
  title  = {Losing money with a high Sharpe ratio},
  author = {Vladimir Vovk},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1109.0706},
  year   = {2011}
}

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6 pages