Mutual fund managers: Does longevity imply expertise?

We analyze the performance of 1,042 mutual funds from 1986 to 1995 to measure the relationship between manager tenure and performance. Funds whose managers' have at least ten years tenure do not generate significantly higher excess returns than funds with less experienced managers. The excess returns of the best managers are not greater than those of their less experienced colleagues. Regardless of tenure, managers producing positive risk adjusted returns for three years are not likely to repeat their performance in subsequent periods. Our results provide further evidence that tenure should not be a factor in selecting mutual funds.     

基金业绩影响因素研究——基于基金经理特征视角

通过对基金经理特征与基金业绩关系的实证研究考察了年龄、性别、任期、工作经历、银行背景、教育背景、资格证书等经理特征对基金业绩的影响。实证结果表明,年龄、任期、MBA与基金业绩负相关,银行经历与基金业绩正相关,博士学历反而没有硕士学历的经理基金业绩好,女性经理业绩强于男性,工作经历对业绩影响不大,CFA证书持有者业绩略好,金融专业背景经理业绩强于其他专业。研究还发现,硕士毕业于国内排名前十位高校的基金经理管理的业绩,获得比其他经理管理的基金高出13.6%-15.4%的投资收益率。研究结论表明,较高的人力资本和社会资本有利于基金业绩的提升,而经验资本影响不大。     

Mutual fund flows and window-dressing

We use a sequential game to analyze an agency problem in the mutual fund industry where a representative fund manager considers window-dressing his portfolio holdings for the purpose of attracting fund flows from a representative investor. The manager is motivated to window-dress to improve the investor's perception of managerial skill which may positively affect fund flows in the next period. However, the investor may suspect window-dressing and thus downgrade perceived managerial skill. The model supports a Bayesian Nash equilibrium where the manager window-dresses only when receiving a low return in the first period and the investor withdraws funds only when observing low returns in both periods. Consequently, we show that window-dressing is a rational behavior even when fund outflows may result.     

Load and no-load mutual fund dynamics during the 1987 market crash: A stochastic dominance analysis

Using a large sample of equity mutual fund returns, we compare performance of load and no-load funds during the 1987 crash. Differences in return distributions, particularly in the higher moments when the market was under stress, suggest a greater use of portfolio insurance by no-load fund managers. Using stochastic dominance, we find that load and no-load funds performed equally well before the crash. No-load returns dominated load fund returns during the crash. Load fund returns dominate after the crash. Over the entire month, no-load funds dominate. We attribute this to investor behavior motivated by the lack of a front-end load.     

Learning about individual managers’ performance in UK pension funds: The importance of specialization

This study examines the performance of managers over time, as well as its persistence, taking into account both manager characteristics and market conditions. Applying parametric and non-parametric methodologies, we examine a sample of UK equity pension fund managers. Our results help to understand the importance of manager assignments in the industry and reveal the importance and benefits of management specialization. We find certain manager performance persistence, revealing that some managers are better than others and possess superior investment skills. Additionally, we find that managers achieve better results when they run a single fund or one investment-objective funds, which allows managers to focus on specific tasks. Nonetheless, manager performance varies with market conditions and highlights managers’ different skills. Specialist managers perform better in bullish markets, and generalists perform better in bearish periods.     

Hedge fund attributes and volatility around equity offerings

The purpose of this paper is to explore the potential influence of hedge fund attributes on idiosyncratic volatility (IVOL) in excess stock returns for 705 firms undergoing seasoned equity offerings (SEOs). This investigation is important due to the pervasive concerns about the impact of hedge funds on volatility. We choose a time frame from 1999 to 2005 covering two periods that could impact IVOL differently: the internet-technology bubble period and the post-bubble period. Our time frame includes the breakpoint year of 2000 that marks a downward trend in IVOL from 2000 to 2008. We explore this IVOL drop for a sample of SEOs and find that the decline in IVOL for this sample can be primarily related to the rapid increase in the hedge fund industry size and to the increasing use of leverage by hedge funds. This trend is also related to the increasing use of a relative value (arbitrage) strategy and the decreasing use of an event-driven strategy. IVOL for our sample also appears to decrease with greater hedge fund performance except when hedge funds are riding the pre-SEO stock price run-up. The downward shift in IVOL for our SEO sample around their offering dates is better explained by hedge fund attributes than by non-hedge fund attributes. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the rapid increase in the hedge fund industry offer an explanation for the mysterious decline in IVOL that has been witnessed since 2000.     

Economic rents and mutual fund performance: An empirical investigation

We investigate the monthly returns of 377 open-end mutual funds during the September 1981–1994 period to learn whether economic rents can be garnered through the judicious selection of the advertising and sales method in the mutual fund industry. Specifically, we seek to learn whether direct sales or mass marketing produces economic rents under the assumption that those rents would be passed on to consumers to build a “high quality” image to differentiate the product line. Results suggest that no-load funds produce superior net returns except in the aggressive growth category.     

Robust performance measures for high yield bond funds

We examine performance measures for high yield bond mutual funds, which are a considerable percentage of taxable bond investments, but have not been widely studied. High yield funds exhibit persistence in their monthly returns, so we calculate Sharpe ratios using methods that incorporate the serial correlation of returns. We find that high yield fund rankings using raw returns and conventionally calculated Sharpe ratios are different from those using trailing standard deviations and robust standard errors. High yield fund rankings based on robust Sharpe ratios also differ from those computed using multi-index Jensen's alphas and information ratios. When measured by risk-adjusted returns, high yield bond fund managers do not add much value.     

董事会结构与我国证券投资基金费率关系的实证研究

本文以2004年6月30日以前国内基金管理公司成立的所有证券投资基金为样本,以基金管理费率和开放式基金最大赎回费率的高低为指标,实证检验了国内基金管理公司的董事会结构对维护基金投资人利益的作用。结果发现:一、董事会规模对基金费率的影响不确定;二、独立董事在董事会中的比重与基金管理费率负相关;三、国内基金管理公司在引入独立董事后确实对维护投资人利益起到一定的作用。     

Assessing and valuing the nonlinear structure of hedge fund returns

Several studies have put forward that hedge fund returns exhibit a nonlinear relationship with equity market returns, captured either through constructed portfolios of traded options or piece‐wise linear regressions. This paper provides a statistical methodology to unveil such nonlinear features with respect to returns on benchmark risk portfolios. We estimate a portfolio of options that best approximates the returns of a given hedge fund, account for this search in the statistical testing of the nonlinearity, and provide a reliable test for a positive valuation of the fund. We find that not all fund categories exhibit significant nonlinearities, and that only a few strategies provide significant value to investors. Our methodology helps identify individual funds that provide value in an otherwise poorly performing category. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Emerging market mutual fund performance: Evidence for Poland

This paper provides evidence on the performance of mutual funds in a prominent emerging market; Poland. Studying an emerging market provides an excellent opportunity to test whether the consensus on the inability of mutual funds in developed and highly efficient markets to beat the market, also holds in less efficient markets. While the weaknesses of legal institutions and underdeveloped capital markets in emerging countries could negatively contribute to performance, a certain level of market inefficiency might also enable fund managers to successfully apply security selection and therefore beat the market. This paper presents an overview of the Polish mutual fund industry and investigates mutual fund performance using a survivorship bias controlled sample of 140 funds. The latter is done using the Carhart (1997) 4-factor asset-pricing model. In addition, we investigate whether Polish fund managers exhibit “hot hands”, persistence in performance. Finally the influence of fund characteristics on risk-adjusted performance is considered. Our overall results suggest that Polish mutual funds on average are not able to add value, as indicated by their negative net alphas. Interestingly, domestic funds outperform internationally investing funds, which points at informational advantages of local over foreign investors. Finally, we detect strong persistence in mean returns up to 1 year. It is striking that “winning” funds are able to significantly beat the market, based on their significantly positive alpha's. These results deviate from studies on developed markets that conclude that even past winners are not able to significantly beat the market.     

煤炭企业如何投资基金产品

文章对我国煤炭企业的利润和现金流状况进行了分析,说明在煤炭行业现金流量丰沛的前提下,可以选择基金产品进行投资,以使资金流动起来,获得最大收益。为此,文章对基金理财产品进行了详细介绍和分析。     

封闭式基金转开放的套利机制研究

本文运用实证研究方法,通过对基金契约到期时间与基金折价率关系的考察,发现在基金陆续到期情况下,到期时间对折价率的影响越来越大,从而推导出购买到期日近的基金组合不仅可以获得超额收益率,而且较到期日远的基金回报更高。但是在该套利机制下,投资者也面临着基金市场的流动性问题以及基金管理人的不作为风险。     

The predictive power of fund ratings with a novel approach using uncertainty measures to analyzing risk

Using two approaches to panel data, Granger causality analysis with semi-asymptotic tests, and a structural approach based on entropies measured on sequences of multiperiod ratings and returns, we specify the relationship between a fund’s performance and both Morningstar and Europerformance ratings. We conclude on the Europerformance agency’s forecasting ability for the Luxembourg funds, and the Morningstar agency for the French funds. Indeed, we find two groups of funds depending on their domiciliation and appropriated rating. The results of this paper have implications for the management of fund portfolios, and the structural approach, more robust to our data, must be a first process for forecast models on the basis of similar funds, minor uncertainty or risk measure, and appropriated rating.     

Does VC fund diversification pay off? An empirical investigation of the effects of VC portfolio diversification on fund performance

The paper tests different theories of how diversification by Venture Capital (VC) firms affects fund performance. The Financial Intermediation and the Resource-based Theory suggest that lower financial risk associated with diversification implies a lower return. However, the assumptions of these theories are questionable in the context of venture capital. We test their validity using data on VC portfolio diversification by industry and country using an original dataset of 649 VC funds originating in the United Kingdom over the period 1981–2000. Results show that higher diversification by industry does indeed lower VC fund success rates. Diversification by geographical region, on the contrary, increases returns.     

Hedge fund seeding via fees-for-seed swaps under idiosyncratic risk

We develop a dynamic valuation model of the hedge fund seeding business by solving the consumption and portfolio-choice problem for a risk-averse manager who launches a hedge fund through a seeding vehicle. This vehicle, i.e. fees-for-seed swap, specifies that a strategic partner (seeder) provides a critical amount of capital in exchange for participation in the funds revenue. Our results indicate that the new swap not only solves the serious problem of widespread financing constraints for new and early-stage funds (ESFs) managers, but can be highly beneficial to both the manager and the seeder if structured properly.     

开放式基金的资金流量对投资组合的影响分析

对单个基金来说,基金流量会影响到投资者的收益,其中的途径就是通过影响基金的投资组合,文章实证检验了由基金资金流入或流出引发的基金资产组合交易变动的程度,同时验证了基金“流动性动机交易”在中国基金市场上确实存在。     

Hedge funds in portfolios of risk-averse investors

We find that adding a hedge fund to an optimally weighted portfolio of stocks and T-bills generally increases the utility of an investor. From a sample of hedge funds with returns from 1996 to 2005, the certainty equivalent was an average of five basis points (monthly) higher with a ten percent allocation into a hedge fund. Funds from different style categories require different allocations into the stock market, but nearly all funds improved performance. Contrary to popular opinion, we find that highly risk-averse investors gain even more than less risk-averse investors by adding a hedge fund into their portfolio.     

何种特征属性决定了基金经理的业绩提升

本文研究了基金经理特征对其业绩的影响及解释力,发现基金经理的业绩具有一定的持续性,其职业稳定性对基金业绩的提升是必要的,在基金公司内部出于管理或人事安排的需要进行频繁的岗位轮换或人员搭配往往不能起到理想的预期效果,但基金经理来自其他基金公司的从业经历却有助于其业绩提升;一定的证券从业经验对基金经理的业绩提升是必要的,但并不意味着从业时间越长,就能获得越好的业绩表现;没有证据表明基金经理学历、历任基金经理的持续时间对其业绩提升有显著的贡献,但性别对基金业绩有着显著的影响。研究表明基金公司在选拔和任用基金经理时,秉持“业绩至上”的原则是必要的,但不能过度沉溺于“经验至上”的迷信,不同经验对基金经理的业绩提升有着不同的影响,需要区别对待。     

Hedge funds,fund attributes and risk adjusted returns

We use proprietary data to examine factors that lead hedge fund managers to offer hurdle rates and investigate relative hedge fund performance based on risk-adjusted returns. Using data from 3,571 hedge funds over a 15 year period, we find that funds that do not offer a hurdle rate outperform those that do. Funds offering a high watermark charge substantially higher performance fees. Further, emerging market, fixed income, and funds of funds are significantly more likely to offer a hurdle rate than other types of funds. Performance fees have a positive impact on the likelihood of offering a hurdle rate. Fund leverage and management fees are negatively associated with hurdle rates. The cross-sectional regressions show that funds, which offer a hurdle rate, underperform those that do not. Funds that charge a high performance fee appear to outperform those that charge a relatively low fee. The results are consistent with the view that those managers who wish to improve risk-adjusted returns should not focus on hurdle rates.