Quant BuffetRelax, Not Over Thinking

Long-Run Reversal in Commodity Returns

Log in to collect

Academic paper

Long-Run Reversal in Commodity Returns: Insights from Seven Centuries of Evidence

AuthorsAdam Zaremba; Robert J. Bianchi; Mateusz Mikutowski

Institute
  • Montpellier Business School
  • Poznań University of Economics and Business
  • ?Poznan University of Economics and Business
  • Griffith University

Strategy in a nutshell

Trades 52 commodities by 3-year cumulative returns, going long on the bottom quintile (lowest returns) and short on the top quintile (highest returns). Portfolios are equally weighted and rebalanced annually.

Economic rationale

Long-term commodity prices revert due to supply-demand cycles rather than macro risks. High idiosyncratic volatility and periods after large return dispersion amplify reversal effects, making low-return commodities outperform over time.

Backtest performance

Annualised return16.03%
Volatility19.37%
Beta0.048
Sharpe ratio0.83
Sortino ratio0.026
Win rate56%

Full Python code

from AlgorithmImports import *
class LongRunReversalinCommodityReturns(QCAlgorithm):
def Initialize(self):
 self.SetStartDate(1991, 1, 1)
 self.SetCash(100000)
 self.symbols = [
     "CME_S1",   # Soybean Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_W1",   # Wheat Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_SM1",  # Soybean Meal Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_BO1",  # Soybean Oil Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_C1",   # Corn Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_O1",   # Oats Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_LC1",  # Live Cattle Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_FC1",  # Feeder Cattle Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_LN1",  # Lean Hog Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_GC1",  # Gold Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_SI1",  # Silver Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_PL1",  # Platinum Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_CL1",  # Crude Oil Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_HG1",  # Copper Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_LB1",  # Random Length Lumber Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_PA1",  # Palladium Futures, Continuous Contract 
     "CME_RR1",  # Rough Rice Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_RS1",  # Canola Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_GO1",  # Gas Oil Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_RB2",  # Gasoline Futures, Continuous Contract
     "CME_KW2",  # Wheat Kansas, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_WT1",  # WTI Crude Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_CC1",  # Cocoa Futures, Continuous Contract 
     "ICE_CT1",  # Cotton No. 2 Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_KC1",  # Coffee C Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_O1",   # Heating Oil Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_OJ1",  # Orange Juice Futures, Continuous Contract
     "ICE_SB1"   # Sugar No. 11 Futures, Continuous Contract
     ]
 self.data = {}
 self.period = 3 * 12 * 21
 self.SetWarmUp(self.period)
 
 self.month = 0
 self.quantile:int = 5
 for symbol in self.symbols:
     data = self.AddData(QuantpediaFutures, symbol, Resolution.Daily)
     data.SetFeeModel(CustomFeeModel())
     data.SetLeverage(5)
     
     self.data[symbol] = SymbolData(self, symbol, self.period)
 self.Settings.MinimumOrderMarginPortfolioPercentage = 0.
 self.Schedule.On(self.DateRules.MonthStart(self.symbols[0]), self.TimeRules.At(0, 0), self.Rebalance)

def Rebalance(self):
 self.month += 1
 if self.month > 12:
     self.month = 1
 
 if self.IsWarmingUp: return
 if self.month != 1: return
 
 last_update_date:Dict[str, datetime.date] = QuantpediaFutures.get_last_update_date()
 performance = { x : self.data[x].roc.Current.Value for x in self.data if \
     self.data[x].is_ready() and \
     x in last_update_date and \
     self.Time.date() < last_update_date[x] }
 
 if len(performance) < 5:
     self.Liquidate()
     return
 
 sorted_by_return = sorted(performance.items(), key = lambda x: x[1], reverse = True)
 quantile = int(len(sorted_by_return) / self.quantile)
 long = [x[0] for x in sorted_by_return[-quantile:]]
 short = [x[0] for x in sorted_by_return[:quantile]]
 stocks_invested = [x.Key.Value for x in self.Portfolio if x.Value.Invested]
 for symbol in stocks_invested:
     if symbol not in long + short:
         self.Liquidate(symbol)
 # trade execution
 long_count = len(long)
 short_count = len(short)
 
 for symbol in long:
     self.SetHoldings(symbol, 1 / long_count)
 for symbol in short:
     self.SetHoldings(symbol, -1 / short_count)
class SymbolData():
def __init__(self, algorithm, symbol, period:int) -> None:
 self.roc = algorithm.ROC(symbol, period, Resolution.Daily)
 self.roc.Updated += self.roc_updated
 self.last_update_date = None
 self.algorithm = algorithm
 
def roc_updated(self, sender, bar):
 self.last_update_date = self.algorithm.Time.date()

def is_ready(self) -> bool:
 return self.roc.IsReady and self.last_update_date and (self.algorithm.Time.date() - self.last_update_date).days < 5
 
# Quantpedia data.
# NOTE: IMPORTANT: Data order must be ascending (datewise)
class QuantpediaFutures(PythonData):
_last_update_date:Dict[str, datetime.date] = {}
@staticmethod
def get_last_update_date() -> Dict[str, datetime.date]:
return QuantpediaFutures._last_update_date
def GetSource(self, config, date, isLiveMode):
 return SubscriptionDataSource("data.quantpedia.com/backtesting_data/futures/{0}.csv".format(config.Symbol.Value), SubscriptionTransportMedium.RemoteFile, FileFormat.Csv)
def Reader(self, config, line, date, isLiveMode):
 data = QuantpediaFutures()
 data.Symbol = config.Symbol
 
 if not line[0].isdigit(): return None
 split = line.split(';')
 
 data.Time = datetime.strptime(split[0], "%d.%m.%Y") + timedelta(days=1)
 data['back_adjusted'] = float(split[1])
 data['spliced'] = float(split[2])
 data.Value = float(split[1])
 # store last update date
 if config.Symbol.Value not in QuantpediaFutures._last_update_date:
     QuantpediaFutures._last_update_date[config.Symbol.Value] = datetime(1,1,1).date()
 if data.Time.date() > QuantpediaFutures._last_update_date[config.Symbol.Value]:
     QuantpediaFutures._last_update_date[config.Symbol.Value] = data.Time.date()
 return data
# Custom fee model
class CustomFeeModel(FeeModel):
def GetOrderFee(self, parameters):
 fee = parameters.Security.Price * parameters.Order.AbsoluteQuantity * 0.00005
 return OrderFee(CashAmount(fee, "USD"))