Tactical Asset Allocation with Macroeconomic Regime Detection

Abstract: This paper extends the tactical asset allocation literature by incorporating regime modeling using techniques from machine learning. We propose a novel model that classifies current regimes, forecasts the distribution of future regimes, and integrates these forecasts with the historical performance of individual assets to optimize portfolio allocations. Utilizing a macroeconomic data set from the FRED-MD database, our approach employs a modified k-means algorithm to ensure consistent regime classification over time. We then leverage these regime predictions to estimate expected returns and volatilities, which are subsequently mapped into portfolio allocations using various sizing schemes. Our method outperforms traditional benchmarks such as equal-weight, buy-and-hold, and random regime models. Additionally, we are the first to apply a regime detection model from a large macroeconomic dataset to tactical asset allocation, demonstrating significant improvements in portfolio performance. Our work presents several key contributions, including a novel data-driven regime detection algorithm tailored for uncertainty in forecasted regimes and applying the FRED-MD data set for tactical asset allocation.