Time-Varying Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection under Transaction Costs and Cardinality Constraint Problem via Beetle Antennae Search Algorithm (BAS)

Citation:

Katsikis, V. N., Mourtas, S. D., Stanimirović, P. S., Li, S., & Cao, X. (2021). Time-Varying Mean-Variance Portfolio Selection under Transaction Costs and Cardinality Constraint Problem via Beetle Antennae Search Algorithm (BAS). Operations Research Forum, 2(2), 18. presented at the 2021. Copy at http://www.tinyurl.com/yeyvf4c7

Abstract:

The Markowitz mean-variance portfolio selection is widely acclaimed as a very important investment strategy. A popular option to solve the static mean-variance portfolio selection (MVPS) problem is based on the use of quadratic programming (QP) methods. On the other hand, the static portfolio selection under transaction costs (PSTC) problem is usually approached with nonlinear programming (NLP) methods. In this article, we define and study the time-varying mean-variance portfolio selection under transaction costs and cardinality constraint (TV-MVPSTC-CC) problem as a time-varying nonlinear programming (TVNLP) problem. The TV-MVPSTC-CC also comprises the properties of a moving average. These properties make the TV-MVPSTC-CC an even greater analysis tool suitable to evaluate investments and identify trading opportunities across a continuous-time period. Using the Beetle Antennae Search (BAS) algorithm, we also provide an online solution to the static NLP problem. To the best of our knowledge, this is an innovative approach that incorporates modern meta-heuristic optimization techniques to provide an online, thus more realistic, solution to the TV-MVPSTC-CC problem. In this way, we present an online solution to a time-varying financial problem while eliminating the restrictions of static methods. Our approach is also verified by numerical experiments and computer simulations as an excellent alternative to traditional approaches.

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