The Distinction Between Market Timing & Threat Administration

A reader asks:

I’m slightly behind and simply listened to ATC from 2/15 over the weekend. That is actually a query for Josh however he made a number of feedback that left me confused. He scoffed on the concept of Ritholtz “market timing” in funding portfolios however then went on to elucidate the commerce so as to add period in fastened revenue. However that that commerce wasn’t market timing and was simply “threat reward evaluation” of the completely different potential financial outcomes. I’m having some bother in my very own portfolio defining for myself when to make any tilts. I don’t need to market time particular person shares or something in a short-term window as I agree these are extraordinarily tough. However making larger image asset allocation tilts based mostly on the financial system/enterprise cycle do appear prudent – how do you outline market timing and when any tilts to a long-term asset allocation are prudent/might be made with out it being thought-about “market timing”?

Truthful query.

There’s a distinction between market timing and threat administration.

Market timing is about predicting.

Threat administration is about making ready.

Market timing assumes you already know what’s going to occur sooner or later.

Threat administration assumes you don’t know what’s going to occur sooner or later.

Market timing is for individuals who assume they’re smarter than the market.

Threat administration is for individuals who know they’re not.

I’m on my agency’s funding committee. Our decision-making course of appears to be like on the previous but additionally considers the risk-reward trade-off within the current.

For example, we don’t attempt to predict the route of rates of interest. Nobody can do that — not the Fed, not bond fund managers, not pundits on monetary tv — nobody. There are far too many variables at play — inflation, financial progress, investor choice for yield, central financial institution intervention, and many others.

However we are able to assess the present stage of yield in relation to the chance and reward inherent within the varied bond devices.

When bond yields throughout the Treasury yield curve fell beneath 1% throughout the pandemic panic, taking period threat in bonds made no sense. The draw back far outweighed the upside. So we moved to ultra-short period bonds.

That wasn’t an implicit prediction that charges have been going to rise. We had no concept charges would go from 0% to five% in such a brief time frame, wreaking havoc on bonds. That was a risk-reward trade-off choice the place you weren’t being compensated in yields commensurate with the extent of potential draw back if charges have been to rise.

And that was earlier than T-bills have been yielding 5%. We have been snug investing in T-bills and short-duration bonds as a result of the rate of interest threat was a lot decrease. Now that intermediate-term bond yields are greater, that risk-reward equation appears to be like so much completely different.

That was an allocation change based mostly on market dynamics, not our potential to forecast the long run.

Market timing requires you to be proper twice — if you get out and if you get again in once more. We by no means had any illusions we may decide the underside or high in charges. It was extra about understanding the completely different bond devices and their potential upside and draw back based mostly on period, yield and credit score high quality.

Name it market timing if you need however that’s not the best way I see it.

Rebalancing isn’t market timing. It’s a option to preserve your portfolio in alignment along with your acknowledged threat profile.

Altering your asset allocation as you age isn’t market timing. It’s prudent threat administration that considers the altering nature of threat as your time horizon adjustments.

Taking roughly threat as your monetary circumstances change isn’t market timing. It’s excellent that your willingness, want and talent to take threat can and can change relying in your scenario.

Market timing is about outcomes.

Threat administration is about course of.

We spoke about this query on this week’s Ask the Compound:



Nick Maggiulli joined me once more on the present this week to debate questions regarding giving monetary recommendation to members of the family, the hire vs. purchase choice, how laborious it’s to develop into a millionaire and learn how to diversify your portfolio as you age.

Additional Studying:
The Siren Music of Market Timing