Market Efficiency

Given that the general consensus is that markets are efficient, how can asset management firms and hedge funds make money? Do they promise to beat the market?

Or are investors just investing with them because they have more know-how in terms of portfolio strategy and asset allocation?

14 Comments
 

The truth is some markets are sometimes efficient. Arguing whether the markets are efficient is more of an academic entertainment than a practical and useful debate. For most hedge funds, the key is to figure out how to make money when the markets are (not) efficient and how to adapt to current situations. For traditional asset management firms, they just buy and pray (hold). Efficient markets? They don't give a flying fuck. #livelongandprosper

Invest first, investigate later.
 
RLC1

"over a multi year horizon" =/= "efficient"

I mean, thats a matter of semantics in terms of how one chooses to define effeciency, but for example Fama argues in one of his papers of market efficiency from a long term perspective, in terms of how stock prices respond to information and the even distribution of return anomalies (overreaction and underreaction) over the long term. Anyways the debate has no provable answer so it doesnt really matter. Be more disciplined than other market participants and harvest your profits appropriately.

 
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