Discrete Portfolio Adjustment with Fixed Transaction Costs
14 Pages Posted: 8 Mar 2014 Last revised: 4 Jan 2016
Date Written: January 3, 2016
Abstract
This paper presents a closed form solution to the portfolio adjustment problem in discrete time when the investor faces fixed transaction costs. This transaction cost model assumes a mean-variance investor who wants to adjust her holdings of a risky and risk-free asset. It is shown how this model can be calibrated to be used with a variety of risk models such as life cycle portfolio weights and value at risk (VaR) models. The decision problem can easily be inputted into and calculated in Excel.
Keywords: adjustment costs, alpha models, brokerage commissions, fixed costs, lifecycle funds, portfolio selection, portfolio theory, risk management, transaction costs, Value at Risk (VaR)
JEL Classification: G11
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation