Portfolio optimization in the era of digital financialization using cryptocurrencies

The Fourth industrial revolution has seen many innovative technologies that are now challenging traditional economies. The innovative and technological financial instruments are inspiring individuals and expert investors to investigate the broader investment spectrum, and consequently diversify their portfolios. Going beyond the conventional portfolios and developing state-of-the-art strategies that comply with the ever-changing financial and technological advancements are the keys to long term sustainability. Therefore, to cater to the needs of all segments of the society, the investment strategies during the fourth industrial revolution demand exposure to technological and digital financial innovations. This study investigates the impact of diversification with the addition of five cryptocurrencies from November 2015 to November 2019 on four traditional asset portfolios. The results show that the diversification increased the returns in most of the cases, and reduced the portfolio volatility in all portfolios, and also provided higher returns as compared to the traditional portfolios for the same level of risk. This study also revealed that the results might improve when short sales are allowed. Moreover, we can conclude that the addition of multiple cryptocurrencies in a portfolio provides enhanced results for diversification, and Ethereum provides a better diversification opportunity as compared to Bitcoin.