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Ivy Portfolio

Ivy Portfolio is a tactical asset allocation strategy reviewed on a monthly cadence. Its hypothetical backtest runs through 2026-08-19. BestFolio supplies the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access. The recorded 2009 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical. Users review each scheduled signal and place any resulting trades in their own brokerage. BestFolio does not execute trades or provide personalized investment advice.

Cadence
Monthly
Backtest data through
2026-08-19
History boundary
The recorded 2009 publication or construction boundary separates pre-publication simulation from later market observations under fixed rules; all returns remain hypothetical.
Rule / approach
1. Equal-weight allocation: 20% each to VTI, VEU, VNQ, AGG, DBC 2. For each asset: if price > 200-day SMA → hold the 20% allocation 3. If price <= 200-day SMA → move that 20% to cash (BIL) 4. Monthly rebalance on last trading day
BestFolio supplies
the public rule or approach and backtest context; current signals, allocations, and paid interactive data remain restricted to Pro access
Customer action
Review each scheduled signal and place any required trades in your own brokerage; BestFolio does not execute orders.
Costs and exclusions
net of a modeled one-way transaction cost (10 bps, scaled up to 3x under stress); taxes, fund-expense drift, or market impact are not modeled
Freshness
The latest available backtest ends 2026-08-19. A run timestamp is not exposed here, so no stronger freshness claim is made.
Next expected action
First trading day of September; scheduled 2026-09-01 at 09:30 ET. Review the published signal before placing any trade.

Ivy Portfolio at a glance

Ivy Portfolio is a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy by Meb Faber & Eric Richardson across US Equity, International Equity, REITs, US Aggregate Bonds, rebalanced monthly. Backtested 1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19 (40.3 years): 7.5% CAGR, 1.16 Sharpe, -17.9% max drawdown, 7.1% volatility.

Type
Tactical (TAA)
Author
Meb Faber & Eric Richardson
Rebalancing
Monthly
Risk
Moderate
Period
1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19
CAGR
7.5%
Sharpe
1.16
Max Drawdown
-17.9%
Volatility
7.1%

Ivy Portfolio Tactical Asset Allocation Strategy

The Ivy Portfolio, inspired by the endowment allocation strategies of Yale and Harvard as described by Meb Faber and Eric Richardson, is an equal-weight 5-asset portfolio with a trend-following overlay. Each of the five asset classes receives a 20% allocation, but if an asset is trading below its 200-day simple moving average, that 20% slice is moved to cash (BIL). This provides systematic downside protection while maintaining broad diversification across major asset classes.

Ivy Portfolio: frequently asked questions

What is Ivy Portfolio?
Five-asset equal-weight portfolio (US stocks, intl stocks, REITs, bonds, commodities) with a 200-day SMA trend filter. Below-trend assets shift to cash, providing systematic downside protection. Monthly rebalancing.
Who created the Ivy Portfolio strategy?
Ivy Portfolio was developed by Meb Faber & Eric Richardson. It is based on Faber, M. & Richardson, E. (2009). The Ivy Portfolio.
What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of Ivy Portfolio?
Backtested from 1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19, Ivy Portfolio returned 7.5% CAGR with a -17.9% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 1.16. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How often is Ivy Portfolio rebalanced?
Ivy Portfolio is rebalanced monthly. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
Is Ivy Portfolio a tactical asset allocation strategy?
Yes. Ivy Portfolio is a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy: it adjusts its holdings based on market signals each period rather than holding a fixed allocation.

Backtest Performance (1986-02-28 to 2026-08-19)

MetricIvy Portfolio
CAGR7.5%
Max Drawdown-17.9%
Sharpe1.16
Sortino1.53
Volatility7.1%
Calmar0.42
Total Return1720.6%
Backtest Period40.3 years

Strategy Details

Type
Tactical (TAA)
Rebalancing
monthly
Risk Level
moderate
Variants
1
Author
Meb Faber & Eric Richardson
Source
Faber, M. & Richardson, E. (2009). The Ivy Portfolio

Asset Classes

  • US Equity
  • International Equity
  • REITs
  • US Aggregate Bonds
  • Commodities

Further reading

New to this approach? Read what tactical asset allocation is and how it works.

Track Ivy Portfolio in Your Portfolio

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