Download PDF Introduction The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of equity swaps, focusing on their structure, mechanics and use cases for investors. Equity swaps evolved in the late 1980s and early 1990s, as a part of the broader development of over the counter (OTC) derivative Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The aim of this article is to provide a comprehensive overview of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and to concentrate on their structure, functionality, and the factors leading to their increased use in the financial markets. Over three decades, ETFs have become a favored investment vehicle due to their Read more…
Download PDF USA In the midst of Hurricane Helene’s wake, shaky Middle Eastern tensions, and slightly higher than expected job unemployment benefit applications in the report on Thursday, markets responded in a cool manner. In the past 5 days, the S&P 500 was mildly in the red all the way Read more…
Download PDF Introduction In this article, we present the first episode of a series on backtesting. We want to provide the reader with an immersive analysis of this powerful tool and analyze all the processes that lead to its optimization and implementation. The series will consist of the following parts: Read more…
Download PDF USA The week started strong with both the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ continuing to grow, reaching all-time highs, after the FED delivered a 50bps rate cut last Wednesday. Amongst stocks, companies like Lockheed Martin (+40.11% YoY), Caterpillar (+35.64% YoY) and Lowe’s (+23.33% YoY) reached all-time highs. The Read more…
Download PDF Nike – BUY Target Price $183, 149% Upside Disclaimer: this article was written on the day of the CEO change announcement, September 19th when stock was trading at around 73 Euros, as reflected in our calculated target price and upside. Introduction Nike Inc., the company with the largest Read more…
Download PDF Introduction For the last 12 months, Central Banks worldwide have been under the limelight as market participants tried to decipher their respective rate paths after the conclusion of the global hiking cycle. In this article we attempt to decompose the key factors that central banks take into consideration Read more…
Download PDF Introduction The efficiency of football odds has been widely debated over the past years, especially as competition grew in the industry and forced bookmakers to improve their predictive power on the back of lower margins. In this article, we explore some of the biases present in the football Read more…
Download PDF USA The week started with a mixed performance for US stocks with Dow Jones hitting a new record high and investors treading carefully ahead of the Federal Reserve key policy meeting on Wednesday. Monday was a bad day for the tech sector with Apple shares dropping 2.8% on Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Since its initial birth in medieval ages, and its formal establishment in the 20th century, in the past fifty Islamic finance has seen tremendous growth. In recent times Shari’ah-compliant bonds have been issued to many countries worldwide, including Nigeria, United Kingdom, and Malaysia. Nowadays, the Maldives are Read more…
Download PDF Abstract In this study, we propose a two-step methodology for the creation and optimization of investment portfolios utilizing machine learning techniques. Our analysis focuses on S&P 500 stocks from 2008 to 2022, incorporating fundamental data, stock prices, and macroeconomic variables as features in our models. The initial phase Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Merger Arbitrage tackle the potential of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) to yield returns irrespective of market conditions. By examining the transaction dynamics, we illustrate how arbitrageurs capitalize on the ‘deal spread’ – the difference between the current market price and the proposed acquisition price. As we navigate Read more…
Download PDF USA Despite a week marked by volatility in the markets, stocks closed higher, showcasing resilience amidst economic fluctuations. Notably, growth stocks surpassed value shares, contributing to the overall positive sentiment. Small-cap companies outshone their large-cap counterparts, propelling the Russell 2000 Index back into positive territory for the year-to-date Read more…
Download PDF Introduction In this article we present a systematic, factor-based approach to credit investing. Our aim is to give the reader a wholistic view of the process that brings to life a systematic investment strategy: from the collection of data, a non-trivial task within the credit space, to the Read more…
Download PDF Introduction Global economies faced a lot of growth pressure in the last two years arising from rising interest rates, increased inflation, geo-political tensions, and a slowdown in the Chinese property market. Some of these issues are likely to remain a key theme throughout the year. The monetary cycle Read more…