Size and investment performance: a research note

This article examines the performance of actively managed Australian equity funds and the extent to which both fund size and manager size are related to risk-adjusted returns. Larger investment managers, by definition, engage in higher trade volume. The literature documents that transaction costs and trade difficulty increase with trade size, given difficulties associated with 'large' trades and their potential market impact on security prices. Therefore, ceteris paribus , large orders are consistent with lower levels of efficiency in trade execution and higher transaction costs. While larger investment managers may experience material disadvantages relative to their smaller counterparts, the Australian literature to date has largely ignored the issues of asset size and the long run performance of investment offerings. This article, employing returns and fund size data that control for survivorship bias, documents that while large retail active equity funds earn higher risk-adjusted returns (after expenses) than small funds, the difference in mean performance is not significantly different. In the institutional sphere, the study also finds no statistically significant performance differences (net of expenses) between funds on the basis of portfolio size. These findings suggest the hypothesis that performance declines with fund size is not supported empirically.     

Excess returns and international diversification: The Scandinavian view

The paper discusses excess returns within four Scandinavian stock markets and also how Scandinavian returns are related to the returns in non-Scandinavian markets. Some underlying reasons for the observed economically weak relationships between markets are reviewed. Moreover, some reasons why the interrelationships between markets can be expected to increase in the future are provided.     

Corporate diversification,institutional investors and internal control quality

This study investigates the relationship between corporate diversification, institutional investors and internal control quality. Using a sample of firms disclosing internal control information from 1999 to 2011, the results show that corporate diversification is positively associated with the likelihood of internal control weakness. Moreover, this relationship is stronger (weaker) when firms have higher transient (dedicated) institutional ownership, indicating that transient (dedicated) institutional investors increase (mitigates) the internal control problems arising from diversification. This study contributes to the literature by providing evidence on the role of corporate diversification in the quality of internal control.     

Geographic versus industry diversification: Constraints matter

This research addresses whether geographic diversification provides benefits over industry diversification in the Eurozone. Our contribution is to show that in the absence of constraints, no empirical evidence is found to support the argument that geographic diversification dominates industry diversification, except in the euro subperiod. With short-selling constraints, however, the tangency portfolio of geographic diversification is not attainable by industry diversification. In out-of-sample geographic minimum variance portfolios outperform industry portfolios in economic terms, although we cannot establish statistical significance.     

Portfolio diversification benefits within Europe: Implications for a US investor

This paper investigates the possibility of cointegration between the United States and 11 European equity markets before and after the convergence period of 1995. The results indicate that during the preconvergence and postconvergence periods, some country groups, with and without the US equity market, exhibited cointegration while others did not. For the European Union markets, however, at least one cointegrating vector emerged in either period, but no cointegration among them surfaced during the Euro introduction period of 1999. These results suggest that a US investor can still benefit from country diversification within the European Union markets.     

How loan portfolio diversification affects risk, efficiency and capitalization: A managerial behavior model for Austrian banks

The aim of this paper is to analyze how diversification of banks across size and industry affects risk, cost and profit efficiency, and bank capitalization for large Austrian commercial banks over the years 1997–2003. Employing a unique dataset, provided by the Austrian Central Bank, we test for several different types of managerial hypotheses, formalized according to a modified version of the Berger and DeYoung model [Berger, A.N., DeYoung, R., 1997. Problem loans and cost efficiency in commercial banks. Journal of Banking and Finance 21, 849–870]. We find that, although diversification negatively affects cost efficiency, it increases profit efficiency and reduces banks’ realized risk. Finally, diversification seems to have a positive impact on banks’ capitalization.     

Securitization and the dark side of diversification

Diversification by banks affects the systemic risk of the sector. Importantly, Wagner (2010) shows that linear diversification increases systemic risk. We consider the case of securitization, whereby loan portfolios are sliced into tranches with different seniority levels. We show that tranching offers nonlinear diversification strategies, which can reduce the failure risk of individual institutions beyond the minimum level attainable by linear diversification without increasing systemic risk.     

多元化战略与代理成本、公司业绩关系的实证研究

本文主要研究上市公司采取多元化战略后对公司代理成本及公司业绩的影响。许多学者对目前多元化折价现象进行了解释,认为由于内部资本市场的无效率导致了多元化公司的资源配置没有发挥着理论上应该具备的优势;很多学者从代理问题出发来解释多元化折价现象,但是针对代理成本与多元化程度的关系做实证检验就很少。验证多元化是否真的提高了代理成本,本文正是基于这一点来展开研究的。结论为代理成本与多元化程度成正比,公司业绩与多元化程度成反比。     

流动性、风险收益与B股市场境外投资者行为

通过对B股市场的流动性、风险及国外投资者的投资动机进行了研究和度量后发现,B股市场对内开放的确加强了它的流动性,但是B股市场波动风险依然高于A股市场,且国外投资者投资B股市场受流动性变化影响不大,因为其他们投资的主要目的不是分散风险而是获取超额预期回报率。因而,在B股市场存废问题在短期内不能解决的情况下,加强B股市场管理,改善市场结构,对国外投资者的投资行为进行合理的监督和引导是完善B股市场的非常重要的举措。     

Determinants of voluntary disclosure of segment information: A re-examination of the role of diversification strategy

This paper explores the determinants of management's decision to voluntarily disclose segment information. It is an extension of McKinnon and Dalimunthe (1993) who investigate the role of six hypothesised determinants. Their results indicate that firm size, industry membership, ownership diffusion, and the level of minority interest are related to the voluntary disclosure of segment information. However, they find that leverage and diversification into related versus unrelated industries are not related to this disclosure. It is the diversification finding that motivates our work. This paper explores the effect of differences in data, differences in samples, and differences in the measurement of diversification on the McKinnon and Dalimunthe (1993) results. Using an alternative definition of diversification, we find diversification strategy, firm size, and the level of minority interest to be related to segment disclosure while the results for ownership diffusion and industry are mixed. We find no support for a leverage effect.     

现代投资组合新视角:对冲基金配置的理论与实证研究

本文在分析传统的投资对冲基金组合架构存在不足的基础上,提出了新的资产组合构架模型,并从理论上论证了对冲基金为何不是一个纯粹超额收益的制造者而更多是一个风险溢价的提供者以及将对冲基金与传统资产有机整合到一起的好处。然后用Cornish—Fisher伸展式对新的资产组合进行分析,证明了新架构的合理性,并用欧美市场的数据进行实证检验。本研究为对冲基金投资者提供了新的操作范式。     

企业多元化:理论与实践的反思

多元化是目前许多企业热衷的战略选择 ,成为企业心目中的“伊甸园”。本文作者从多元化发展的理论与实践及其历程入手进行分析 ,认为不论从多元化与企业分散风险、扩张规模、增加绩效之间的联系 ,还是从发达国家多元化的实践来看 ,多元化并没有达到人们预想的效果 ,而正确的选择是坚持走专业化的道路。     

控制权冲突、资本配置决策与投资组合选择

本文以长期股权投资和固定资产的投资组合选择为研究对象,从控制权私利的视角探讨了大股东自利性动机对资本配置决策的作用机理,并进行了相应的数值模拟。研究发现：（1）固定资产投资规模与长期股权投资高状态收益存在负相关关系,而长期股权投资规模则与其高状态收益概率正相关;（2）大股东自利性动机驱使下的资本配置决策偏离了分散持股时的资本配置水平,偏离程度会随着现金流权与控制权分离度的增加而展现出非线性变化态势。上述研究结论为当前有关加强上市公司大股东财务决策监管的政策导向提供了重要的经验启示。     

The dynamics among G7 government bond and equity markets and the implications for international capital market diversification

This paper investigates potential international capital market diversification gains from relationships between global government bond and equity markets. Its primary contributions are (1) including both government debt and equity markets in the investigation of global diversification gains, (2) basing the analysis on real, risk-adjusted returns, and (3) evaluating both variance decompositions and impulse responses, as well as long-term relationships for international U.S. dollar investors. We find the cointegration, variance decomposition, and impulse response function results indicate interdependence and reduction in gains to international diversification.     

Portfolio optimization algorithms,simplified criteria,and security selection: A contrast and evaluation

The Markowitz full covariance model provides a general framework for analysis of the porfolio selection problem. Three alternative solution methodologies have been developed to facilitate normative applications, but this article shows that they lead to markedly different stock selection and portfolio weighting decisions. In sample-based applications, incompatibilities arise due to model misspecifications and different distributional assumptions, and from the interactive effects of estimation error, optimization model selection bias, and conflicting distributional assumptions.     

Portfolio selection with skewness: A multiple-objective approach

In the presence of skewness, the portfolio selection entails considering competing and conflicting objectives, such as maximizing both its expected returns and skewness, and minimizing its risk for decreasing absolute risk-aversion investors. Since it is unlikely that a portfolio can solve the multiple-objectives problem simultaneously, a portfolio selection must depend on the investor's preference among objectives. This article shows that investor preference can be incorporated into a polynomial goal programming problem from which a portfolio selection with skewness is determined. An inefficient mean-variance portfolio may be optimal in the mean-variance-skewness content. The features of applying polynomial goal programming in portfolio selection are 1) the existence of an optimal solution, 2) the flexibility of the incorporation of investor preference, and 3) the relative simplicity of computational requirements.     

Portfolio selection with qualitative input

We formulate a mean-variance portfolio selection problem that accommodates qualitative input about expected returns and provide an algorithm that solves the problem. This model and algorithm can be used, for example, when a portfolio manager determines that one industry will benefit more from a regulatory change than another but is unable to quantify the degree of difference. Qualitative views are expressed in terms of linear inequalities among expected returns. Our formulation builds on the Black-Litterman model for portfolio selection. The algorithm makes use of an adaptation of the hit-and-run method for Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation. We also present computational results that illustrate advantages of our approach over alternative heuristic methods for incorporating qualitative input.     

投资组合构建与调整的合理性及其对基金绩效的影响

从理论推论看,投资组合构建与调整的合理性越高,投资绩效就可能越好。为此,本文构建了衡量组合合理性高低的指标,并采用Kolmogorov-Smirnov检验法、Kruskal-Wallis检验法、基于Wilcoxon秩检验的多重比较法等方法,实证研究我国股票型基金投资组合的合理性对基金绩效的影响。研究结果一方面支持了理论推论的正确性,另一方面也印证了本文所建立的组合合理性指标的可取性。同时论文发现,在牛市熊市的不同情况下,基金组合构建的合理性及其对继续的影响存在差异。论文据此提出了相关的建议和启示。     

Financial market frictions and diversification

We find new facts that relate the evolution of firm scope to the changing frictions in external capital markets over the last three decades. We find that large, diversified publicly traded firms increase their scope during times of high external capital market frictions, such as in the recent Great Recession. Moreover, during these times firms diversify their investment needs and cash flow across industries. We also find similar phenomena outside diversified public firms. Examining the mergers and acquisitions activity of stand-alone and diversified private firms, we uncover similar patterns. In aggregate data, we find that the composition of mergers shifts from focused to diversifying and back with changes in external market conditions. Our evidence is broadly consistent with the notion that firms diversify their scope in response to tightening in external capital markets.     

Portfolio selection with mental accounts and delegation

Das et al. (2010) develop an elegant framework where an investor selects portfolios within mental accounts but ends up holding an aggregate portfolio on the mean-variance frontier. This investor directly allocates the wealth in each account among available assets. In practice, however, investors often delegate the task of allocating wealth among assets to portfolio managers who seek to beat certain benchmarks. Accordingly, we extend their framework to the case where the investor allocates the wealth in each account among portfolio managers. Our contribution is threefold. First, we provide an analytical characterization of the existence and composition of the optimal portfolios within accounts and the aggregate portfolio. Second, we present conditions under which such portfolios are not on the mean-variance frontier, and conditions under which they are. Third, we show that the aforementioned analytical characterization is also applicable within the framework of Das et al. and thus improves upon their numerical approach.