Ensemble Models for Trend Investing

Abstract: Portfolio strategies focusing on following the trend, so called momentum based strategies, have been popular for a long time among investors and have had many academic studies, however with varying results. This study sets out to investigate different momentum trading signals as well as combining them in ensemble models such as Random Forest and the unique Dim Switch portfolio and then compare them to set benchmarks. Only one of the benchmarks, the 100% equity portfolio, is found to have better returns than the constructed momentum based strategies, however the momentum based strategies show a lot of potential with high risk-adjusted returns and good performance with regards to Expected Shortfall, Value at Risk and Maximum Drawdown. The most common momentum trading signal, the momentum rule with 9 months lookback, was found to have the highest risk-adjusted returns compared to both the benchmarks and the ensemble models, but it was also found to have slightly heavier left tail than the ensemble models.