Insights
Research, analysis, and market commentary from the Applied Alpha Research team.
How To Measure and Compare Investments
Strategy performance isn’t just “how much did it make?”—it’s “how fast did it grow?” and “how painful was the ride?” Two metrics that answer those questions well are CAGR and Percent Drawdown. Why per...
From Backtest to Reality: Turning Signals Into Returns
Backtests are where most investment strategies look their best. You get clean curves, strong Sharpe ratios, and what loo...
Use Any Account — Even Your 401(k)
One of the most common questions we hear is: "Can I use Applied Alpha Research with my existing accounts?" The short ans...
Why Drawdown Matters: The Psychological and Financial Edge of Discipline
In the world of investing, everyone loves to talk about "alpha", the excess return above a benchmark like the S&P 50...
The Hidden Risk: Not Following Your System
Successful trading isn’t just about having a good strategy—it’s about having the discipline to actually follow it. Most...
