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Optimal Rebalancing Strategy Using Dynamic Programming for Institutional Portfolios

Walter Sun
MIT EECS; LIDS

Ayres C. Fan
MIT EECS; LIDS

Li-Wei Chen
MIT EECS

Tom Schouwenaars
MIT EECS

Marius A. Albota
MIT EECS


December 22, 2004


Abstract:     
Institutional fund managers generally rebalance using ad hoc methods such as calendar basis or tolerance band triggers. We propose a different framework that quantifies the cost of a rebalancing strategy in terms of risk-adjusted returns net of transaction costs. We then develop an optimal rebalancing strategy that actively seeks to minimize that cost. We use certainty equivalents and the transaction costs associated with a policy to define a cost-to-go function, and we minimize this expected cost-to-go using dynamic programming. We apply Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate that our method outperforms traditional rebalancing strategies like monthly, quarterly, annual, and 5% tolerance rebalancing. We also show the robustness of our method to model error by performing sensitivity analyses.

Keywords: Optimal portfolio rebalancing, dynamic programming, Monte Carlo simulations

JEL Classifications: C15, C61, G11, G23

Working Paper Series

Date posted: January 03, 2005 ; Last revised: July 26, 2005

Suggested Citation

Sun, Walter, Fan, Ayres C., Chen, Li-Wei, Schouwenaars, Tom and Albota, Marius A., Optimal Rebalancing Strategy Using Dynamic Programming for Institutional Portfolios (December 22, 2004). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=639284


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Contact Information

Walter Sun (Contact Author)
MIT EECS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States
LIDS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Ave
32-D608
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States
Marius A. Albota
MIT EECS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States
Li-Wei Chen
MIT EECS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States
Ayres C. Fan
MIT EECS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States
LIDS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Ave
32-D608
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States
Tom Schouwenaars
MIT EECS ( email )
77 Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States
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