Will investors change their superannuation fund given the choice?

A large number of Australian investors have been granted the right to choose where their superannuation fund contributions will be invested, but it is difficult to ascertain whether investors will exercise this choice. Although expected‐utility‐maximizing investors might tend to change their fund once given the choice, loss averse investors would favour the status quo. Using a survey of over 1600 Australian investors, conducted by FinaMetrica in early 2005, we find support for inertia (status quo) in our sample suggesting that, with respect to superannuation choice, individual Australian investors are loss averse.     

Effect of fund size on the performance of Australian superannuation funds

This study examines the relationship between fund size and performance for two major superannuation industry sectors in Australia: retail and not‐for‐profit, using a unique but confidential database. Results suggest that members benefit from being invested in larger superannuation funds for three reasons: (i) larger not‐for‐profit funds provide diversification benefits of investing in more asset classes including unlisted property and private equity, (ii) larger funds in both sectors avoid the scale diseconomies in investment returns documented in studies of equity mutual funds and (iii) larger funds make substantial savings by spreading fixed operating costs (such as IT infrastructure) over a larger asset base.     

An examination of involvement in relation to superannuation consumption

This study examines consumer involvement in the context of superannuation in order to gain an understanding of this important consumer behaviour construct in a forced consumption situation, that is, compulsory superannuation. In doing so, associations between involvement and consumer knowledge, consideration of future consequences (CFC), age and education are proposed and tested. Data were gathered via self-report survey from 329 respondents from four regions in south-east Queensland representing a diverse socio-economic spread. The results of regression analysis clearly indicate that subjective knowledge, age and CFC are positively associated with involvement in relation to superannuation. Findings in relation to objective knowledge and education were not significant. The findings indicate that, in practical terms, marketing efforts should be concentrated, not only on the provision of information in relation to superannuation, but, more importantly, also on attitude change with the objective of stimulating need recognition in younger superannuation consumers.     

An individual level analysis of the mutual fund investment decision

This study investigates the manner in which consumers make investment decisions for mutual funds. Investors report that they consider many nonperformance related variables. When investors are grouped by similarity of investment decision process, a single small group appears to be highly knowledgeable about its investments. However, most investors appear to be naive, having little knowledge of the investment strategies or financial details of their investments. Implications for mutual fund companies are discussed.     

Mutual fund distribution fees: An empirical analysis of the impact of deregulation

The Securities and Exchange Commission's Rule 12b-1 ended a 40-year prohibition on the payment of distribution fees by mutual funds. The fees have the potential to create conflicts between fund managers and shareholders. This study examines the characteristics of funds implementing the plans, and assesses costs and benefits. Findings reveal that there is a growing tendency of funds, particularly load funds, to adopt the plans. The costs have begun to increase dramatically in recent years though some load funds with plans have begun reducing their loads. However, 12b-1 plans do not seem to contribute to the expense ratios of funds oriented toward capital gains. The plans offer the intangible benefit of spreading load charges across time, thus increasing a fund's attractiveness to a broader range of investors.Various versions of this article have been presented at seminars at the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Universities of Colorado, Connecticut, Michigan State, Pittsburgh, Kentucky, South Carolina, and Missouri, and at the Financial Management Association.     

An empirical analysis of Mexican and US closed-end mutual fund IPOs

We examine 135 Mexican closed-end fund IPOs and 370 Mexican non-fund IPOs that issued between 1994 and 2003 along with 217 contemporaneous US fund IPOs and document three primary results. First, we find that Mexican IPOs in the aggregate experience no significant underpricing, unlike their US IPO counterparts. Both Mexican and US IPOs experience significantly negative long-run performance. Second, Mexican closed-end fund IPOs experience positive long-run performance, significantly better than Mexican non-fund IPOs which experience negative long-run performance. Unlike Mexican fund IPOs, US fund IPOs experience negative long-run performance. Third, we find that both Mexican and US debt-backed closed-end fund IPOs significantly outperform equity-backed closed-end IPOs. In Mexico, debt-backed funds experience positive abnormal returns, compared to negative abnormal returns for Mexican equity-backed funds, US debt-backed funds, and US equity-backed funds.     

Price satisfaction and personnel efficiency as antecedents of overall satisfaction from consumer credit products and positive word of mouth

The paper aims to explore the potential impact of ‘bank personnel efficiency’ and ‘price satisfaction’ on overall customer satisfaction of consumer credit products and positive word of mouth (WOM). Furthermore it aims to provide bank managers with useful insights into the development of high quality relationships with customers. ‘Personnel efficiency’, is related to the human factor of service quality, while ‘price satisfaction’ refers to the customers’ subjective view of the bank's pricing policy. The research involved a review of the available literature on service quality dimensions and their effect on satisfaction and WOM. For the collection of data, a survey was designed and conducted in the greater area of Athens, Greece. The research questionnaire was administered by means of personal interviews to 750 bank customers. Data analysis, using structural equation modelling, suggests that ‘personnel efficiency’ and ‘price satisfaction’ are antecedents of overall ‘customer satisfaction’, which is a prerequisite for positive ‘word of mouth’.     

Attribution of investment performance: an analysis of Australian pooled superannuation funds*

This paper evaluates the market timing and security selection capabilities of Australian pooled superannuation funds over the eight‐year period from January 1991 to December 1998. Evaluation of both components of investment performance is surprisingly scarce in the Australian literature despite active investment managers engaging in both market timing and security selection. The paper also evaluates performance for the three largest asset classes within diversified superannuation funds and their contribution to overall portfolio return. The importance of an accurately specified market portfolio proxy in the measurement of investment performance is demonstrated. This paper employs performance benchmarks that account for the multi‐sector investment decisions of active investment managers in a manner that is consistent with their unique investment strategy. Consistent with U.S. literature, the empirical results indicate that Australian pooled superannuation funds do not exhibit significantly positive security selection or market timing skill.     

Trading out of sight: An analysis of cross-trading in mutual fund families

This paper explores how mutual fund groups set the price of in-house transactions among affiliated funds. We collect a data set of four million equity transactions and compare the pricing of trades crossed internally (cross-trades) with that of twin trades executed with external counterparties. While cross-trades should reduce transaction costs for both trading parties, we find that the price of cross-trades is set strategically to reallocate performance among sibling funds. Furthermore, we provide evidence that a large number of cross-trades are backdated. We discuss the implications for the literature on fund performance and the current regulatory debate.     

Attribution of investment performance: an analysis of Australian pooled superannuation funds*

This paper evaluates the market timing and security selection capabilities of Australian pooled superannuation funds over the eight‐year period from January 1991 to December 1998. Evaluation of both components of investment performance is surprisingly scarce in the Australian literature despite active investment managers engaging in both market timing and security selection. The paper also evaluates performance for the three largest asset classes within diversified superannuation funds and their contribution to overall portfolio return. The importance of an accurately specified market portfolio proxy in the measurement of investment performance is demonstrated. This paper employs performance benchmarks that account for the multi‐sector investment decisions of active investment managers in a manner that is consistent with their unique investment strategy. Consistent with U.S. literature, the empirical results indicate that Australian pooled superannuation funds do not exhibit significantly positive security selection or market timing skill.     

An empirical analysis of the dynamic relationship between mutual fund flow and market return volatility

We study the dynamic relation between aggregate mutual fund flow and market-wide volatility. Using daily flow data and a VAR approach, we find that market volatility is negatively related to concurrent and lagged flow. A structural VAR impulse response analysis suggests that shock in flow has a negative impact on market volatility: An inflow (outflow) shock predicts a decline (an increase) in volatility. From the perspective of volatility–flow relation, we find evidence of volatility timing for recent period of 1998–2003. Finally, we document a differential impact of daily inflow versus outflow on intraday volatility. The relation between intraday volatility and inflow (outflow) becomes weaker (stronger) from morning to afternoon.     

Online banking services: a meta-analytic review and assessment of the impact of antecedents and consequents on satisfaction

This paper provides a meta-analysis of the generalizations in the relationships between the antecedents and consequents of satisfaction with online banking services. In total, 118 observations were analysed, with a sample of 49,607 respondents in 39 published articles from studies indexed in ten databases (Jstor, Emerald, PsycINFO, Taylor & Francis, Elsevier Science Direct, Scopus, ProQuest, SciELO, Google Scholar and EBSCO). Specifically, for the data analysis, we used the correlation coefficient r (plus χ², f test, t test, z test and β values). The results showed that constructs related to uncertainty, as evoked by online devices, system performance, quality of device content and online banking device structures, are significant and positive antecedents of consumer satisfaction. We also found that satisfaction with online banking services promotes trust and loyalty. Finally, we also detected that the relationship between reliability, satisfaction and service quality is stronger among Western banking consumers.     

A strategic analysis of sinking fund bonds

Unlike most securities, the pricing of sinking fund bonds is influenced by the distribution of ownership, which summarizes the extent to which the market is cornered. The effect of the distribution of ownership on the pricing of sinking fund bonds is examined by an explicit game in which the price obtained for bonds sold can depend upon the size of the investor's position. This framework is used to contrast the valuation of sinking fund bonds with the valuation of amortizing bonds and straight debt. We show that it is generally incorrect to view sinking fund bonds as being equivalent to serial bonds.     

Quantile regression analysis of hedge fund strategies

Extending previous work on hedge fund pricing, this paper introduces the idea of modelling the conditional quantiles of hedge fund returns using a set of risk factors. Quantile regression analysis provides a way of understanding how the relationship between hedge fund returns and risk factors changes across the distribution of conditional returns. We propose a Bayesian approach to model comparison which provides posterior probabilities for different risk factor models that can be used for model averaging. The most relevant risk factors are identified for different quantiles and compared with those obtained for the conditional expectation model. We find differences in factor effects across quantiles of returns, which suggest that the standard conditional mean regression method may not be adequate for uncovering the risk-return characteristics of hedge funds. We explore potential economic impacts of our approach by analysing hedge fund single strategy return series and by constructing style portfolios.     

Mutual fund flows and investor returns: An empirical examination of fund investor timing ability

We examine the timing ability of mutual fund investors using cash flow data at the individual fund level. Over 1991–2004 equity fund investor timing decisions reduce fund investor average returns by 1.56% annually. Underperformance due to poor timing is greater in load funds and funds with relatively large risk-adjusted returns. In particular, the magnitude of investor underperformance due to poor timing largely offsets the risk-adjusted alpha gains offered by good-performing funds. Investors in both actively managed funds and index funds exhibit poor investment timing. We demonstrate that our empirical results are consistent with investor return-chasing behavior.     

Corporate control and shareholder activism in Germany: An empirical analysis of hedge fund strategies

Government-initiated reforms of the German financial system two decades ago shifted corporate control activities from universal banks to capital markets. Hedge funds took advantage of these changes by acquiring stakes in weakly governed firms. For 653 hedge fund interventions between 2000 and 2020, this study analyzes the changes in financial and operating performance and firm characteristics before and after the event. We also assess the probabilities that a firm becomes a target and that an attack creates shareholders value. On average, hedge funds increased returns, with the magnitude depending on the period, level of aggressiveness, institutional ownership, and industry. Crisis and non-crisis results differ, as hedge funds strategies are mostly successful in a rising stock market environment. Typically, hedge funds targeted smaller and more visible firms with higher sales growth, lower leverage, and higher institutional ownership. After the attack, firm profitability and cash holdings decreased, leverage increased, while investments in M&A and capex declined. This research offers new empirical evidence on the success of hedge fund strategies in Germany and on the performance of targeted firms.     

An advanced perspective on the predictability in hedge fund returns

This paper advances the research on the predictability in hedge fund returns, using a broad set of risk factors within a variety of different prediction models. Accounting for the fact that returns are non-normally distributed, heteroscedastic and time-varying in their exposure to pervasive economic risk factors, we advocate a non-parametric backward elimination regression approach. The interdependencies between the monthly changes of envisaged risk factors and the subsequent hedge fund returns remain remarkably stable in terms of the observed direction of impact. Thus, taking into account the specific characteristics of this asset class, we find strong evidence of its return predictability.     

A contingent claim analysis of closed-end fund premia

We estimate contingent claims that replicate monthly net asset value (NAV) payoffs from closed-end funds. A claim's theoretical value is obtained by martingale pricing methods. The resulting net present value (NPVS) sequence is the theoretical premia sequence that is compared to the actual market premia sequence. The theoretical premia, like actual premia, are uncorrelated with NAV returns and are positively autocorrelated due to autocorrelation in the pricing information. However, there is poor correspondence between the theoretical and actual premia that seems due to the market's systematic errors in estimating a fund's management value. Risky arbitrage may be available to insiders.     

沪深两市基金指数协整性分析

本文运用协整分析的方法,对沪深两市基金指数的联动关系进行了实证分析,结果表明,沪深两市基金指数的变动存在长期稳定均衡关系。     

New European Union members on their way to adopting the Euro: An analysis of macroeconomic disturbances

We identify aggregate demand and supply disturbances of several central and eastern European countries and compare them with the respective disturbances of France, Germany, and Italy which are the large economies of the euro zone. We also examine how output and prices of the various economies respond to these changes. We find that several central and eastern European countries (CEECs) still exhibit significant differences compared with the older member countries of the European Union (EU). However, some more advanced countries of the area already show remarkable similarities with the euro zone countries.