Risk Management
Candlefocus EditorRisk management involves assessing the impact of potential adverse events on a portfolio’s performance. It involves the process of recognizing risks and developing strategies to manage them. The objective is to identify potential risks and the strategies to manage them. This includes identifying the source of risk, assessing its impact, taking action to manage the risk and monitoring its effect on the overall portfolio. Risk management strategies may include diversification, hedging, derivatives and insurance.
Risk management begins with the recognition and assessment of risk. This requires a thorough evaluation of the portfolio, including the types of investments it contains, their relative risk and volatility, and the overall level of risk for the portfolio. Once risk has been identified, it must be measured and monitored to ensure that the portfolio is within acceptable risk limits.
Risk can be classified into different categories, such as market risk, credit risk, liquidity risk, operational risk and reputational risk. Each type of risk has its own characteristics, drivers, and mitigation strategies.
Market risk is financial risk faced due to changes in the market value of a portfolio. Market risk can be further broken down into systematic risk and unsystematic risk. Systematic risk is composed of the risk caused by changes in the macroeconomic environment, such as changes in interest rates, unemployment, natural disasters, and international events. Unsystematic risk is composed of specific risks associated with each individual asset such as technology or industry-specific risk.
Credit risk is the risk of losing money because a borrower is unable to meet its debt obligations. Credit risk is most commonly encountered in the form of default risk. Liquidity risk is the risk of an investor not being able to convert an asset into cash without significantly affecting the price of the asset. Operational risk is the risk associated with the process of running a financial institution, including the risk of measurement, process, and control errors. Reputational risk is the risk of a financial institution's reputation being harmed due to past or present business practices.
Risk management is a complex process with many interrelated elements. Effective risk management requires a systematic approach involving identification, assessment, mitigation and monitoring. In addition, risk mitigation strategies should be tailored to specific types of risks and should be regularly monitored and validated to ensure that they are within acceptable tolerances. By incorporating risk management strategies into their investment strategies, investors can reduce the likelihood of volatility in their portfolio.