Excess Returns, Ep. 30: The Pros and Cons of Quantitative and Discretionary Investing

We all have a tendency to believe that the way we invest is the best way. As quantitative investors, we can sometimes feel that there is no reason anyone should ever use a discretionary strategy. But like most issues in investing, there are two sides to this argument. In this episode, we talk about the benefits of both quantitative and discretionary investing.

We discuss:

Why quantitative strategies can limit the impact of emotion and biases
Why discretionary strategies can work better in situations where a more detailed analysis is needed
How both strategies contain some elements of the other
Why the ultimate answer may lie in the hands of the end investor