Kenneth French

Kenneth R. French is a prominent individual in the financial world. He’s best known for his contributions to asset pricing, investment theory, and financial markets. Currently a professor at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College, he’s helped countless people gain a vital understanding of risk factors, stock returns, and portfolio management. He’s worked closely with Eugene Fama, another trailblazer of the financial world, over the years.

An Impressive Career in Finance

Early in his career, Ken French earned his Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. Afterwards, he changed career paths, pursuing an MBA and Ph.D. in Finance at the University of Rochester. This is where his interest in financial markets grew.

Transitioning from student to teacher, he’s held numerous positions at highly respected institutions. These include MIT’s Sloan School of Management and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, to name a few. Currently, he is a Roth Family Distinguished Professor of Finance at Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business.

His professional career isn’t limited to teaching finances to eager students, however. Along with Eugene Fama, he has worked on groundbreaking asset-pricing models—most notably the Fama-French Three-Factor Model—that are used across the industry. This vital work has helped shape numerous investment strategies, as well as portfolio theory as we know it.

Notable Achievements and Dates

• Co-developed the Fama-French Three-Factor model with Eugene Fama
• Roth Family Distinguished Professor of Finance
• President of the American Finance Association (2007)
• Journal of Finance Editor
• Published multiple influential papers
  • The Cross-Section of Expected Stock Returns
  • Common Risk Factors in the Returns on Stocks and Bonds
  • Dissecting Anomalies
  • The Capital Asset Pricing Model: Theory and Evidence
  • Size and Book-to-Market Factors in Earnings and Returns
  • Luck Versus Skill in the Cross-Section of Mutual Fund Returns
  • Profitability, Investment, and Average Returns

Kenneth French’s work has provided valuable insights into what drives stock performance beyond just market risk. Thanks to his work, our understanding of risk and returns has gained much needed clarity.