Factor Momentum and the Momentum Factor
Working Paper 25551
DOI 10.3386/w25551
Issue Date
Momentum in individual stock returns emanates from momentum in factor returns. Most factors are positively autocorrelated: the average factor earns a monthly return of 1 basis point following a year of losses and 53 basis points following a positive year. Factor momentum explains all forms of individual stock momentum. Stock momentum strategies indirectly time factors: they profit when the factors remain autocorrelated, and crash when these autocorrelations break down. Our key result is that momentum is not a distinct risk factor; it aggregates the autocorrelations found in all other factors.
Published Versions
SINA EHSANI & JUHANI T. LINNAINMAA, 2022. "Factor Momentum and the Momentum Factor," The Journal of Finance, vol 77(3), pages 1877-1919.