Market Style Factor Dictionary

Chinese version

This dictionary separates raw research metrics, style factors, and report-level factor families. It documents the public research implementation and is not a complete reproduction of a commercial Barra model.

Quick guide

A descriptor is a measured feature, such as company size or recent return. A factor turns one or more descriptors into a score used to compare stocks. A factor family groups related scores for reporting. “High minus low” means the average result for the highest-scoring stock group minus that for the lowest-scoring group; it is a historical comparison, not an investor’s account return. Point-in-time (PIT) means the information was available on the historical date being studied. The tables retain the exact calculation and source limits below.

The machine-readable descriptors are maintained in studies/style_factors_18y/factor-descriptors.yml. The public pages show only reviewed derived results; implementation details and source ownership remain linked to the relevant research and platform repositories.

Reading formulas and source fields

In the current formulas, ln is the natural logarithm, clip(x, a, b) caps a value to the inclusive range from a to b, and 1 / PB or 1 / PE_TTM reverses the multiple so a lower positive valuation multiple receives a higher score. PE_TTM means price-to-earnings using trailing twelve-month earnings. A 21-day or 252-day window counts trading observations as defined by the source, not calendar days. Cov is covariance (whether two return series move together); Var is variance (how much one series varies); rᵢ is a stock return and rₘ is the sample’s equal-weight market return in the current beta proxy. Percentile clipping limits extreme observations before standardization. A z-score expresses a value relative to the cross-sectional mean and standard deviation.

Source identifiers such as total_mv, turnover_rate, pct_chg, PE_TTM, netprofit_yoy, and debt_to_assets remain unchanged so a reader can find them in the data contract. Their units, missing-value rules, and point-in-time availability follow the source table and the formula-specific notes below; a familiar field name alone does not establish those details. ROE means return on equity, ROA return on assets, and OCF operating cash flow. They are separate financial measures and are not interchangeable.

Historical 19-factor snapshot

The historical snapshot contains 19 factor identifiers. These are reviewed historical results, not 19 fully reconstructable factor definitions. The current core dictionary and the historical source package have different provenance boundaries.

Factor IDEvidence boundary
liquidityHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
growthHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
valueHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
ps_valueHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
lowvolHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
dividend_yieldHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
institution_holdingHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
earnings_yieldHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
qualityHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
leverageHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
chip_concentrationHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
fund_breadth_changeHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
fund_ownership_changeHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
fund_ownershipHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
betaHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
fund_breadthHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
momentumHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
sizeHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded
liquidity_flowHistorical market style snapshot; source definition remains bounded

The repository does not include the original historical factor panel or a complete descriptor and formula for every row. Do not describe this snapshot as a fully reproducible commercial Barra model.

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