This week we sit down with Jeremy Schwartz, the director of research at WisdomTree. He is responsible for the equity index construction process and oversees research across the WisdomTree family. Prior to joining WisdomTree, Jeremy was head research assistant to Wharton finance professor Jeremy Siegel, and helped with the research and the writing of “Stocks for the Long Run” and “The Future for Investors.” He also hosts the Wharton Business Radio program “Behind the Markets” on SiriusXM 111, and is a member of the CFA Society of Philadelphia.
Schwartz tells of how meeting Siegel changed his career path, leading him towards newer forms of indexings and ETFs. Professor Siegel, a perennial favorite of Wharton students, steered Schwartz towards his current role researching how to bring new investment concepts to investors.
He also tells several delightful tales about Siegel and the professor’s best friend — and polar opposite — professor Bob Shiller of Yale.
Schwartz discusses how currency hedging in the ETF space has taken off, especially in Japan and to some degree in the Eurozone. Original, their Dividend-Weighted Japan fund was not especially popular. His great insight for overseas investors was that they were essentially making a double decker bet: stocks + currency. By hedging the Yen, investors were allowed to make a stock bet without currency impacting the performance. WisdomTree Japan Hedged Equity Fund (DXJ) became the first currency hedged ETF.
Some of his favorite books are referenced here.
You can stream/download the full conversation, including the podcast extras, on Bloomberg, iTunes, Overcast, and Soundcloud. Our earlier podcasts can all be found on iTunes, Soundcloud, Overcast and Bloomberg.
Next week, we speak with Ray Dalio of Bridgewater Associates.
Jeremy Schwartz Books (research, editing)
Stocks for the Long Run 5/E: The Definitive Guide to Financial Market Returns & Long-Term Investment Strategies by Jeremy Siegel
The Future for Investors: Why the Tried and the True Triumph Over the Bold and the New by Jeremy Siegel
Jeremy Schwartz Favorite Books
What Works on Wall Street, Fourth Edition: The Classic Guide to the Best-Performing Investment Strategies of All Time by James O’Shaughnessy
Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides’s Trap? by Graham Allison
Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder
Partner to the Poor: A Paul Farmer Reader by Paul Farmer
