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200-Day SMA Trend at a glance

200-Day SMA Trend is a tactical asset allocation (TAA) strategy by Meb Faber, rebalanced monthly. Backtested 1990-12-31 to 2026-07-03 (35.5 years): 10.6% CAGR, 1.01 Sharpe, -25.0% max drawdown, 12.6% volatility.

Type
Tactical (TAA)
Author
Meb Faber
Rebalancing
Monthly
Risk
Moderate
Period
1990-12-31 to 2026-07-03
CAGR
10.6%
Sharpe
1.01
Max Drawdown
-25.0%
Volatility
12.6%

200-Day SMA Trend Tactical Asset Allocation Strategy

A single asset held while its month-end close is above its 200-day moving average, otherwise T-bills (BIL). The simplest trend-following rule and the classic benchmark tactical strategies try to beat, kept deliberately unoptimized: no lookback tuning, no multi-asset selection.

200-Day SMA Trend: frequently asked questions

What is 200-Day SMA Trend?
A single asset held while its month-end close is above its 200-day moving average, otherwise T-bills (BIL). The simplest trend-following rule and the classic benchmark tactical strategies try to beat, kept deliberately unoptimized: no lookback tuning, no multi-asset selection.
Who created the 200-Day SMA Trend strategy?
200-Day SMA Trend was developed by Meb Faber.
What is the historical return and maximum drawdown of 200-Day SMA Trend?
Backtested from 1990-12-31 to 2026-07-03, 200-Day SMA Trend returned 10.6% CAGR with a -25.0% maximum drawdown and a Sharpe ratio of 1.01. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
How often is 200-Day SMA Trend rebalanced?
200-Day SMA Trend is rebalanced monthly. BestFolio publishes the updated allocation signal each period.
Is 200-Day SMA Trend a tactical asset allocation strategy?
Yes. 200-Day SMA Trend 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 (1990-12-31 to 2026-07-03)

Metric200-Day SMA Trend
Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)10.6%
Maximum Drawdown-25.0%
Sharpe Ratio1.01
Sortino Ratio1.33
Annualized Volatility12.6%
Calmar Ratio0.42
Total Return3475.8%
Backtest Period35.5 years

Strategy Details

Type
Tactical (TAA)
Rebalancing
monthly
Risk Level
moderate
Variants
6
Author
Meb Faber

Further reading

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

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