Investments into commodity-linked products have grown in recent years due to investors embracing alternative investments as a way to deal with inflation uncertainty in their portfolios.

What are low volatility strategies? Low volatility strategies attempt to construct equity portfolios that minimize market risk. Investment risk is measured using historical returns and correlations between individual portfolios and stock market movements. Wall Street touts low volatility investment strategies as a hedge against market volatility because they are designed to carry less risk during periods of poor stock market performance. Low volatility investing is not a new concept but it has become increasingly popular given the high levels of market volatility experienced by equity investors during the 2008 financial crisis, the up-and-down movements in 2011, and the continued turbulence in 2012.

Two weeks ago, one of Wall Street’s largest market-making and trading firms, relying on a computerized trading program, shook investors’ confidence in the market. Trying to gain an edge on its competitors, seventeen-year-old Knight Capital Group rushed out new trading software that wasn’t ready. Instead of fulfilling customer orders, the software unintentionally generated millions of erroneous trades, causing sudden wild price swings in dozens of stocks. As trading volumes expanded, some Wall Street participants profited from the unusually dramatic price swings triggered by the faulty software. Many retail customers, having no idea what was going on, wound up losing money. Some journalists accused Wall Street insiders of using their trading tactics to rip off small investors: but the opposite, in this case, seems more accurate. The mishap cost Knight $440 million in trading losses and forced them to accept a lifeline to skirt collapse.

With bond yields still hovering around historic lows, some investors may be tempted to consider dividend-paying stocks as a way of generating income from their portfolios, presumably with the benefit of not having to sell from their principal. Before embarking on this strategy, it is important to understand several considerations as explained by Apollo D. Lupescu, PhD, Vice President. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP.