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Portfolio Theory and Quantitative Investment / Portfolio Optimisation and Quant Portfolio Construction

Derivation: The Fully-Invested Mean-Variance Solution

L11 sets as an exercise the one MV problem it does not solve in lecture: the fully-invested optimiser that combines a return objective with the budget constraint. The solution is the most informative formula in portfolio theory — it splits any optimal portfolio into a risk-anchored part and a return-seeking part — and its derivation rehearses every Lagrangian step used elsewhere in the course. We derive it completely, verify its structure, and extract the active-management solution as a corollary.

In this lesson

  1. Step 0 — The problem
  2. Step 1 — Lagrangian and first-order conditions
  3. Step 2 — Solve the stationarity condition for ww
  4. Step 3 — Determine ll from the budget constraint
  5. Step 4 — Substitute back and rearrange into anchor + tilt
  6. Step 5 — Verification and structure
  7. Marking checklist (for the exam write-up)

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