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Schroder Investment Horizons
Is volatility risk?
After a long period without significant market upheavals, investors might be forgiven for
pushing volatility down their list of concerns. We think that would be a mistake. Low
volatility can sometimes represent the calm before the storm. But even when the storm
hits, we don’t think volatility is necessarily something to be feared. It can indicate danger,
but it can also signal opportunity. What is crucial is that investors are able to determine
which and have a plan ready so they can react appropriately.
How investors approach volatility depends critically on the immediacy of their targets. Short-term investors
may find that volatility management techniques are useful. However, for those focused on the longer term,
volatile markets can present significant opportunities to enhance results. In this article, we try to quantify
the short and long term and look at ways investors can overcome their natural aversion to investing in
volatile markets.
Defining our terms
Modern portfolio theory defines risk as volatility and tells us that there is a proportional relationship between
volatility and expected returns – an investor must accept uncertainty if they are to generate returns in excess
of the ‘risk-free rate’. Thus it is most efficient to minimize volatility for a given level of return, or maximize
returns for a given level of volatility.
Under this definition, volatility is a measure of the variation in results, typically expressed as their standard
deviation from an average level. This can, however, lead investors astray. Take the hypothetical example of
two assets, A and B, in Figure 1. The statistical volatility of A is far higher than that of B; indeed, technically,
B has zero volatility. However, under this scenario, it is obvious that, over the three-month reference period,
asset A was the better investment to own.
Figure 1: Lower volatility does not necessarily mean better returns
Month
Asset A
Return
Asset B
Return
1
8.0%
–5.0%
2
4.0%
–5.0%
3
–4.0%
–5.0%
Compound Return
7.8%
–14.3%
Standard Deviation
6.1%
0.0%
For illustration only. Source: Schroders, as at October 2014.
Growth of £100
120
115
110
105
100
95
90
85
80
1
2
Asset A
3
Asset B
4
2
Is volatility risk?
There are, of course, many other ways of defining investment risk. For many investors it is simply the
possibility of permanent loss, but for some it is more specific. For example, a pension fund might consider
its main risk to be having insufficient assets to meet the retirement needs of its pensioners. For a sovereign
wealth fund, the most worrying issue might be owning a stake in a company involved in some illegal activity.
Insurance companies, on the other hand, might consider the major risk to be illiquidity, i.e. not being able
to sell assets when needed to pay claims. For most investors, an ever-present concern is whether the
purchasing power of their money will be eroded by inflation.
It is clear that the terms ‘volatility’ and ‘risk’ are not synonymous. Yet, although they are used more or less
interchangeably, very few people would be satisfied if the answer they received to the question ‘what’s the
risk of this investment?’ was simply ‘five’.
Sequencing risk
Much analysis of risk assumes that an investment is affected in the same way whenever returns occur.
In truth, of course, timing is vital. A 10% market fall when a saver is 25 and their accumulated savings are
small should be much less traumatic than when they are 45 and their savings are likely to have grown to
something more substantial. The order in which returns takes place can make a significant difference to the
final outcome. This is sometimes termed ‘sequencing risk’ – the impact of the pattern of returns on moneyweighted results.
Crucially, higher volatility increases the exposure to sequencing risk. Figure 2 shows the sensitivity of a
pension saver to this risk. The blue line represents the hypothetical savings of someone who started a
defined contribution (DC) in January 1974 and retired 40 years later. (We have assumed that they had
average US earnings, of which they saved 10% annually, and maintained a 60:40 allocation between equities
and bonds.) By the time they retired they had savings of approximately $1.2 million.
The orange line shows what might have happened had they instead experienced a bull market in equities and
bonds in the last few years leading up to retirement. We created this alternative scenario simply by switching
the relatively poor returns of the 2000s with the relatively strong returns of the 1980s. The switch has no
impact on compound annual total returns over 40 years measured on a time-weighted basis. However, it
does have a major impact on the final value, because the strong returns in the final decade acted on a much
larger sum of money. In this scenario the final sum is over $1.7 million – more than double that of the ‘actual’
DC saver. This exercise highlights the heavy toll on our retirement pot caused by the flat-to-falling returns of
the 1990s and the crash of 2007–2008, both of which happened late in their savings journey.
Figure 2: Timing + Magnitude = Impact
Accumulation ($’000s)
2,000
1,800
1,600
1,400
1,200
1,000
800
600
400
200
0
1973
1978
1983
1988
Actual Experience
1993
1998
Weak 1980s, Strong 2000s
2003
2008
2013
Years
Annual data from 1974 to 2013. Assumptions: 60:40 portfolio, fees of 0.5% p.a. and 10% contributions made mid-year. Index used for equities is the S&P
500 Total Return (1970 to 2013). Indices used for bonds is the U.S. Treasury 10yr yield (1970 to 1976) and Barclays U.S. Aggregate Total Return (1976 to
2013). Source: Schroders, DataStream, U.S. Census Bureau data, as of December 31, 2013.
Is volatility risk?
3
In short, therefore, the final value of DC savings is very dependent on the path taken. An early setback
will have limited impact on the end result, whereas a market crash close to retirement can mean serious
impairment.
Since, intuitively, lower volatility leads to a tighter range of expected outcomes, managing portfolio volatility
is one way to attempt to try and manage sequencing risk. However, there is a cost to this approach in terms
of lower expected returns, and at times this ‘insurance premium’ is too expensive. Moreover, simple volatility
management is a blunt instrument at best as it can only give some control over the magnitude of possible
losses, and none over their incidence or timing.
An alternative way to control sequencing risk is through active management of the portfolio to try and avoid
steep falls in value. This leads to outcome-oriented strategies, such as low-volatility hedge funds, flexible
fixed income or multi-asset portfolios. In practice, a blend of these solutions is perhaps useful. Having
available a range of outcome-oriented strategies with varying targets and volatility tolerances may be able
to help in striking the right balance between achieving real returns and avoiding major crashes.
Spotting the difference between threat and opportunity
Are there time horizons over which volatility does constitute a significant risk? The answer depends very
much on the relationship between volatility and returns. Statistically and empirically, high market volatility
is associated with negative returns. But if returns have recently been negative, then the market will now be
priced more cheaply than before, which may provide a buying opportunity.
Of course, the potential for higher expected returns comes at the cost of a greater probability of significant
loss. This is a trade-off the extent of which varies with the time period being considered and the objectives
of each investor. Figure 3 shows the weekly returns from the S&P 500 Index over the past 54 years (blue
line) and the subset when the preceding volatility was relatively high (orange line). The distribution of returns
in the high-volatility subset shows significantly more extreme results (‘fatter tails’) than the full sample, while
the median is more or less the same for both sets of data. Figure 4 shows the return distributions for annual
periods for the same index over the same history. This time the high-volatility subset tails are slightly fatter,
but the median return is significantly higher.
Figure 3: After a volatile period, we see more extreme results
Frequency
%
10
Median:
All periods 0.26%
High-vol subset 0.30%
8
Similiar Expected Returns
6
4
Higher Chance of
More Extreme Results
2
0
–20
–16
–12
–8
–4
0
Return %
High-volatility Subset
4
8
12
16
20
All Weekly Periods
Daily data from December 31, 1959 to June 30, 2014. Index used is the S&P 500 Price Return. One-month volatility look-back. High-volatility subset refers
to top decile historical volatilities. Source: Bloomberg and Schroders. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment
can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed.
In the short term (Figure 3), the frequency of weak returns following high volatility usually offsets any benefits
to be gained, so market volatility represents a threat. For those investors likely to be sensitive to such losses,
the use of portfolio volatility management techniques, such as volatility capping or targeting, can therefore be
an attractive option.
4
Is volatility risk?
However, the very same signal – a period of high market volatility – can also trigger the completely opposite
response. Investors willing to withstand a short stormy period can take advantage of others’ near-term
concerns to exploit cheap valuations (Figure 4). This is a manifestation of the value effect, whereby those
targeting longer-term investment outcomes can profit from volatility.
Since, intuitively, lower volatility leads to a tighter range of expected outcomes, managing portfolio volatility
is one way to attempt to try and manage sequencing risk. However, there is a cost to this approach in terms
of lower expected returns, and at times this ‘insurance premium’ is too expensive. Moreover, simple volatility
management is a blunt instrument at best as it can only give some control over the magnitude of possible
losses, and none over their incidence or timing.
An alternative way to control sequencing risk is through active management of the portfolio to try and avoid
steep falls in value. This leads to outcome-oriented strategies, such as low-volatility hedge funds, flexible
fixed income or multi-asset portfolios. In practice, a blend of these solutions is perhaps useful. Having
available a range of outcome-oriented strategies with varying targets and volatility tolerances may be able
to help in striking the right balance between achieving real returns and avoiding major crashes.
Spotting the difference between threat and opportunity
Are there time horizons over which volatility does constitute a significant risk? The answer depends very
much on the relationship between volatility and returns. Statistically and empirically, high market volatility
is associated with negative returns. But if returns have recently been negative, then the market will now be
priced more cheaply than before, which may provide a buying opportunity.
Of course, the potential for higher expected returns comes at the cost of a greater probability of significant
loss. This is a trade-off the extent of which varies with the time period being considered and the objectives
of each investor. Figure 3 shows the weekly returns from the S&P 500 Index over the past 54 years (blue
line) and the subset when the preceding volatility was relatively high (orange line). The distribution of returns
in the high-volatility subset shows significantly more extreme results (‘fatter tails’) than the full sample, while
the median is more or less the same for both sets of data. Figure 4 shows the return distributions for annual
periods for the same index over the same history. This time the high-volatility subset tails are slightly fatter,
but the median return is significantly higher.
Figure 3: After a volatile period, we see more extreme results
Frequency
%
10
Median:
All periods 0.26%
High-vol subset 0.30%
8
Similiar Expected Returns
6
4
Higher Chance of
More Extreme Results
2
0
–20
–16
–12
–8
–4
0
Return %
High-volatility Subset
4
8
12
16
20
All Weekly Periods
Daily data from December 31, 1959 to June 30, 2014. Index used is the S&P 500 Price Return. One-month volatility look-back. High-volatility subset refers
to top decile historical volatilities. Source: Bloomberg and Schroders. Past performance is not a guide to future performance. The value of an investment
can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed.
In the short term (Figure 3), the frequency of weak returns following high volatility usually offsets any benefits
to be gained, so market volatility represents a threat. For those investors likely to be sensitive to such losses,
the use of portfolio volatility management techniques, such as volatility capping or targeting, can therefore be
an attractive option.
Is volatility risk?
5
However, the very same signal – a period of high market volatility – can also trigger the completely opposite
response. Investors willing to withstand a short stormy period can take advantage of others’ near-term
concerns to exploit cheap valuations (Figure 4). This is a manifestation of the value effect, whereby those
targeting longer-term investment outcomes can profit from volatility.
Figure 4: Annual results still have downside exposures but stronger value premiums
Frequency
%
Median:
All periods 9.63%
High-vol subset 16.43%
6
Higher Expected Returns
5
4
Some Threats Remain
3
2
1
0
–60
–48
–36
–24
–12
0
12
24
36
48
60
Return %
High-volatility Subset
All Annual Periods
Daily data from December 31, 1959 to June 30, 2014. Index used is the S&P 500 Price Return. One-month volatility look-back.
High-volatility subset refers to top decile historical volatilities. Source: Bloomberg and Schroders. Past performance is not a guide
to future results, The value of an investment can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed.
We further analyzed many different periods, volatility subsets and investment horizons to draw broad
conclusions, based on a typical investor’s likely goals. We concluded that high market volatility posed
the greatest threat for those with a horizon below three months and offered decent opportunities for
those with horizons from six to 24 months, while the distinction tended to fade beyond 24 months.
Figure 5 summarizes the analysis, showing the dispersion of results for differing investment horizons.
Figure 5: When does volatility matter?
Return
%
40
High-volatility
Subset
30
Upper
Decile
Risks generally outweigh returns/benefits
20
Median
10
Lower
Decile
0
All Data
–10
Upper
Decile
–20
Median
Added return per risk potentially more attractive
Lower
Decile
–30
Daily
Weekly
Monthly
3 Months
6 Months
12 Months
18 Months
24 Months
36 Months
Return Periods Examined
Daily data from December 31, 1959 to June 30, 2014. Index used is the S&P 500 Price Return. Results over 12 months are annualized.
One-month volatility look-back. High volatility subset refers to top decile historical volatilities. Source: Bloomberg and Schroders. Past
performance is not a guide to future results. The value of an investment can go down as well as up and is not guaranteed.
6
Is volatility risk?
Conclusions
Our conclusion has to be that volatility is not risk. Rather, it is one measure of one type of risk. Pragmatic
investors recognize this, and appreciate that its use as a proxy is an imperfect short cut. Volatile markets
certainly bring uncertainty about whether investors’ goals will be achieved. At the same time, volatility
is also a very useful indicator, a warning of both short-term threats and longer-term opportunities.
For those concerned about the near term, volatility management techniques may be useful tools for
increasing certainty. But for those more focused on longer-term outcomes and able to weather the
storm, volatile markets can present significant opportunities. Armed with these insights, investors may
be able to take better allocation decisions at times of market stress.
Scott Lothian, Global Strategic Solutions
Important Information: The views and opinions contained herein are those of Scott Lothian, Global Strategic Solutions and do not necessarily represent
Schroder Investment Management North America Inc.’s house view. This newsletter is intended to be for information purposes only and it is not intended as promotional material
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