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Research - How to Use the Sharpe Ratio 

07-10-2025 09:27

Abstract:

Research by de Prado, Lipton and Zoonekynd that reviews the pitfalls of naive Sharpe ratio analysis and provides a comprehensive framework for its proper use:

  • Five major pitfalls are identified:

    • (a) Assumption of normality in return distributions.

    • (b) Neglect of statistical significance and minimum sample length requirements.

    • (c) Insufficient statistical power of standard tests.

    • (d) Misinterpretation of classical p-values as the probability of the null hypothesis given the data.

    • (e) Failure to adjust for multiple testing.

  • To address these issues, the paper surveys and extends advanced methods, including:

    • Probabilistic Sharpe Ratio (PSR)

    • Minimum Track Record Length (MinTRL)

    • Observed Bayesian Tail-Area False Discovery Rate of the Sharpe ratio (oFDR)

    • Deflated Sharpe Ratio (DSR)

  • Monte Carlo simulations demonstrate that these corrections outperform traditional t-statistics and standard multiple-testing procedures.

  • The study distinguishes between Familywise Error Rate (FWER), False Discovery Rate (FDR), and hybrid FWER-FDR approaches, highlighting their respective relevance for academic versus industry settings.

Resources:

  • Paper: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5520741
  • Code: https://github.com/zoonek/2025-sharpe-ratio

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