Why Does Performance Persistence Vary Among Closed-End Funds?

This study extends the research on closed-end fund performance persistence by investigating whether the persistence of both net asset value (NAV) and market price returns of U.S. registered closed-end funds is related to various fund characteristics. The sample consists of 505 closed-end funds, which are investigated over the period from January 1976 to December 1996. The analysis tests whether persistence is related to the fund characteristics size, goal, management fees, turnover, fund family membership, fund experience, and the exchange on which a fund is traded. The results vary across holding periods used to calculate persistence but are similar with respect to the NAV and market price returns. Funds with lower expense ratios and funds traded on the NYSE show more persistence of strong NAV and market price performance.     

赎回权的价值与封闭式基金折价率研究——兼论“封转开”方案设计

本文比较了封闭式基金与对等的开放式基金之间的差异，认为缺少赎回权是封闭式基金产生折价的主要原因。在一个具有完全择时能力的封闭式基金投资者的假设条件下，本文推导并证实了赎回权价值上限和隐含折价率下限计算公式。基于赎回权，本文提出了“封转开”方案设计的一个新思路，希望对市场上正在热烈讨论的“封转开”问题有所启示。     

Running From a Bear: How Poor Stock Market Performance Affects the Determinants of Mutual Fund Flows

Abstract:  Using a proprietary data set to study how past performance affects the determinants of mutual fund flows for a sample of load fund investors, I provide evidence that the determinants of fund flow depend on market conditions for both redemptions and purchases. Specifically, I show that, for redemptions, relative performance and risk adjusted performance are important determinants during a period of record flows into mutual funds. Conversely, during a period of poor performance, absolute performance becomes much more important and relative performance and risk adjusted performance become less important. For purchases, absolute performance, risk adjusted performance, and most relative performance measures become more important during the bear market.     

The Information Content of Australian Managed Fund Ratings

Abstract:  We examine the information content of managed fund ratings for Australian retail investors. Because fund ratings, premised on a quantitative-qualitative model, are highly transitory, we question whether investors formulate their investment decisions with respect to changes in ratings and whether ratings, in turn, react to fund flows. We find that information regarding fund flows can be obtained from ratings, and that rating changes can have far-reaching effects. Investors flock to newly upgraded funds while they penalize those that have been downgraded by withdrawing funds. Investors are constantly anticipating ratings revisions, particularly downgrades, and we attribute this phenomenon to the role of qualitative factors in the ratings.     

Family Matters: Rankings Within Fund Families and Fund Inflows

Abstract:  This paper examines the influence of the position of a fund within its family on its subsequent net-inflows. Our empirical study of the US equity mutual fund market shows that reaching a top position within the family leads to large inflows. These inflows accrue beyond those expected, given the performance of the fund in its respective market segment. The effect is much stronger in large families than in small families. We also find that inflows significantly increase if a fund moves into the top positions within its family from one year to another. These results lead to competition within the fund family and to important risk taking incentives for fund managers.     

我国开放式和封闭式基金绩效比较的实证研究

近年来我国新设立的开放式基金远远多于封闭式基金。在数量迅速增长的情况下，开放式基金能否取得优于封闭式基金的绩效受到市场的普遍关注。本文选取了10家基金管理公司，每家公司各选一只开放式基金和一只封闭式基金，从收益率、风险调整后的绩效和择时能力三个方面比较了2004年1月至2005年4月期间开放式基金与封闭式基金的绩效。实证结果显示，在我国目前情况下，开放式基金的绩效略高于封闭式基金，但并不存在显著的差异．     

A Tournament Model of Fund Management

Abstract:  We develop a tournament model of portfolio management and test it on UK investment trusts. Our model extends the literature by analysing middle-ranking funds who aim to beat a benchmark; spanning two periods; focusing on 'extreme' portfolios; and using a signal-extraction framework. We predict that 'losing' managers will adopt extreme portfolios, and increasingly so, the further behind the fund is and the nearer the ranking date. Losing managers will choose high/low market exposure depending both on anticipated market movements and on whether they have sufficient assets to take advantage of a rising market. Our empirical tests support these predictions.     

A return-based approach to identify home bias of European equity funds

This paper introduces a return-based approach to studying a possible home bias of European equity funds by estimating their exposures to their domestic markets. We first confirm the robustness of our approach using simulated portfolios with different proportions of domestic and foreign stocks. The empirical analysis examines equity funds domiciled in 15 European countries that invest in European stocks. We examine individual funds as well as portfolios comprising funds that are all domiciled in a particular country. Our findings reveal that the portfolios of four domiciles show a significant home bias. Moreover, we observe that in seven domiciles more than a quarter of the individual funds are home-biased. These results are robust when controlling for fund-specific benchmarks or for the average country exposures of all funds in our final sample. Finally, a home bias of individual funds is not related to superior performance, but actually results in higher investment risk consistent with underdiversification.