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Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences

Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.

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Main Author: Mazwai, Osagyefo
Other Authors: Gilbert, Evan
Format: Thesis
Language:en_ZA
Published: Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University 2020
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access_status_str Open Access
author Mazwai, Osagyefo
author2 Gilbert, Evan
author_browse Gilbert, Evan
Mazwai, Osagyefo
author_facet Gilbert, Evan
Mazwai, Osagyefo
author_sort Mazwai, Osagyefo
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv Stellenbosch University
description Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
format Thesis
id oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107836
institution Stellenbosch University (South Africa)
language en_ZA
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:44:17.380Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
publishDate 2020
publishDateRange 2020
publishDateSort 2020
publisher Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
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source_str SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository
spelling oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/107836 Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences Mazwai, Osagyefo Gilbert, Evan Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Dept. of Economics. Investments, Foreign -- Strategic planning Investments, Foreign -- Risk management Investments, Foreign -- Decision making Prospect theory UCTD Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2020. ENGLISH ABSTRACT : This thesis investigates the optimal choice of investment style for a representative long term South African investor assuming a Prospect Theory-type utility functions. The relative performance of Balanced Funds, Absolute Return Funds, General Equity Funds, and Flexible Funds were investigated in this context. A fundamental insight of Prospect Theory is that human beings are more responsive to losses than gains, as demonstrated by the S-shaped value function. These subtleties are ignored by Expected Utility Theory and their associated risk measures (most importantly, variance) may lead to portfolio designs that are inconsistent with investors’ risk preferences. Two methods for investigating the optimal investment style for these investors were applied (namely, Historical Analysis and Filtered Historical Simulations). The Historical Analysis method reveals that Balanced Funds offer the highest returns, but the Sharpe ratio shows that Absolute Return Funds have the best risk-return trade off. Using Prospect theorybased utility functions with differing parameters reflecting differing risk preferences, the Filtered Historical Simulation method reveals that Absolute Return Funds are most likely to be the optimal investment style for an investor exhibiting either severe or mild “loss aversion”. For investors with “no loss aversion”, the optimal investment style is Balanced Funds which deliver the highest expected cumulative utility. This study shows that the choice of investment style is dependent on the level of loss aversion. This suggests the need to estimate these for South African investors as the parameters used in this study are derived from international studies that are relatively dated. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Geen opsomming beskikbaar. Masters 2020-02-24T08:35:55Z 2020-04-28T12:05:30Z 2020-02-24T08:35:55Z 2020-04-28T12:05:30Z 2020-03 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107836 en_ZA Stellenbosch University xiii, 92 pages ; illustrations, includes annexures application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
spellingShingle Investments, Foreign -- Strategic planning
Investments, Foreign -- Risk management
Investments, Foreign -- Decision making
Prospect theory
UCTD
Mazwai, Osagyefo
Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title_full Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title_fullStr Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title_full_unstemmed Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title_short Choosing investment solutions for South African long-term investors with prospect theory-type risk preferences
title_sort choosing investment solutions for south african long term investors with prospect theory type risk preferences
topic Investments, Foreign -- Strategic planning
Investments, Foreign -- Risk management
Investments, Foreign -- Decision making
Prospect theory
UCTD
url http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/107836
work_keys_str_mv AT mazwaiosagyefo choosinginvestmentsolutionsforsouthafricanlongterminvestorswithprospecttheorytyperiskpreferences