Optimal asset allocation and risk management

The purpose of this study is to provide further evidence on the importance of international diversification, and to determine the optimal allocation of assets in a portfolio comprising domestic (Australian) and international assets. The study focuses on stock index futures contracts in five countries - Australia, USA, UK, Hong Kong and Japan. Daily data for the five selected contracts over the period from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2000 is employed in the study. Consistent with previous studies, the results confirm the importance of international diversification and indicate that the portfolio risk is reduced considerably when more international assets are added sequentially to the portfolio. Empirical analysis also shows that the optimal asset allocation results in higher risk reduction and better returns when compared with an equally weighted portfolio.