Solution
ID: past-exam-of-the-mathematics-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2004/iii/paper-35/1/g/solution
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2004 iii Paper 35 1 g Solution by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
All three individual risky assets now have negative excess expected returns. The covariance matrix and the risky portfolio opportunity set remain unchanged, but the risk-free point moves above all three individual means. Solving the new tangency equations givesThe sign of the normalized tangency portfolio now matters. Normalizing to a unit risky budget givesand its Sharpe ratio is . This point touches the lower risky frontier, rather than being an efficient positive-premium market portfolio.
The positive-premium efficient direction is still , . It shorts the first two assets, holds a hedging long position in the third, and has negative total risky investment. Its risk-free investment exceeds its initial wealth: the net proceeds of short selling are lent. Equivalently it takes a negative position in the normalized tangency portfolio. ThusNegative excess means therefore do not eliminate efficient risky investments when unrestricted short selling is allowed. The second diagram shows both orientations; it would be incorrect to interpret the negative normalized ratio as a negative slope for the upper efficient ray.
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