Research desk / October 2026
Systematic Equity Research
Examine what an equity result actually depends on: the universe, the clock, the portfolio and the cost.
Dossier 001 / synthetic teaching fixture
From factor scores to an inspectable portfolio
A fixed research protocol, fictional securities, a timestamp check and a transparent cost ledger. Reproduce the arithmetic and see where an apparently clean result can fail.
Research questions
All guidesValue signals start with the denominator
Define book-to-market and earnings yield before ranking stocks, and separate apparent cheapness from accounting comparability.
Profitability is not a single quality score
Distinguish gross profitability, operating profitability and leverage-sensitive quality measures before combining them.
Read asset growth before calling it investment
Calculate asset growth consistently and investigate acquisitions, disposals and denominator effects without rewriting the signal after the fact.
Momentum windows: what the skipped month changes
Specify a return window in calendar terms, compound it correctly, and keep a research convention separate from an executable trade.
Low volatility and minimum variance are different portfolios
Distinguish stock-level volatility ranking from portfolio-level risk optimization, with a two-stock covariance example.
Five parts of a defensible equity study
Factor definitions
Measure the characteristic before interpreting the premium.
Portfolio construction
Follow a score through selection, constraints and actual exposure.
Information timing
Record when a number was available, revised and tradable.
Turnover & costs
Reconcile traded notional, implementation assumptions and net outcomes.
Research validation
Keep sample design, rejected ideas and reproducible evidence together.
Featured provider / promotional
Review the research behind Vector Ridge
Named WCTC results, Oxford quantitative credentials and separately documented model outcomes provide a starting point for a research review.
Inspect founder and model evidence