Examining the behavior of renewable‐energy fund investors

Mutual fund investors could contribute to sustainable development by encouraging fund managers to channel their savings into the funding of sustainable energy projects adopted by firms. This study examines whether renewable‐energy investors take into account financial and/or nonfinancial factors when making the decision to invest in a specific fund, comparing their investment behavior with that of black‐energy and conventional investors. To this end, we have gathered information about 4,368 mutual funds (76 renewable‐energy funds, 109 black‐energy funds, and 4,183 conventional mutual funds) from January 2007 to December 2017. For this sample, we adopt a panel‐data approach with Petersen's standard errors clustered by fund and year. Our results indicate that renewable‐energy fund investors are less sensitive to past financial performance than are black‐energy and conventional fund investors, indicating that the former derive their utility from nonfinancial attributes whereas black‐energy investors derive their utility from a conditional multiattribute and conventional fund investors derive their utility from financial attributes.     

The role of mutual funds in the sustainable energy sector

The integration of renewable energy criteria in mutual fund investment decisions could channel private resources into the funding of environmentally related projects implemented by firms contributing to sustainable development. This paper examines the performance of European renewable energy funds that invest globally by comparing their risk‐adjusted returns with those achieved by black energy and conventional mutual funds. It uses Carhart's model on a sample of 81 renewable energy funds, 125 black energy funds, and 4,337 conventional mutual funds. The results indicate that 32.1% of renewable mutual funds—most of which adopt energy producers, renewable energy technology, and energy efficiency‐focused criteria—perform significantly better than the S&P Clean Energy market benchmark, this percentage being affected by the different states of the economy. However, none of them are able to beat the fossil fuel energy (S&P Global 1200 Energy Index) or conventional market benchmarks (S&P Global 1200 Index). Furthermore, 37.04% of renewable energy funds significantly underperform the S&P Global 1200 benchmark. Therefore, the investment in renewable energy funds has a financial cost for investors in relation to conventional fund investors.     

Smart money or dumb money? A study on the selection ability of mutual fund investors in China

We examine investors’ mutual fund selection ability in China. Using actively managed equity mutual funds between 2005 and 2011, we find that Chinese investors generally have no mutual fund selection ability, a result contrary to the smart money effect in the United States. We show that mutual funds that receive more new money subsequently underperform significantly. The findings are robust to several risk-adjusted performance measures. The unique data of China provide separate accounts of institutional and individual investors’ new money flowing into and out of mutual funds, allowing us to examine the mutual fund selection ability of institutional and individual investors. We document that institutional investors exhibit a smart money effect, that is, they are able to move new money into (out of) future good (poor) performers. In contrast, individual investors exhibit a dumb money effect. Our results provide useful information for regulators to review their rules, especially for the protection of individual investors regarding mutual fund investing in China. In addition, we show that it is useful to distinguish institutional and individual investors in mutual fund research.     

Mutual fund selection and performance persistence in 401(k) Plans

We examine how plan sponsors/providers select mutual funds for 401(k) plans and whether performance persistence exists for mutual funds listed in 401(k) plans. Using a hand-collected data set of 401(k) investment options, we find that plan sponsors are likely to choose actively managed growth funds, including aggressive growth funds and long-term growth funds. Furthermore, more than 50% of the mutual funds in our sample of 401(k) plans are selected from the top 10 fund families in terms of total net assets. On average, plan sponsors select funds that outperform the funds with the same investment objective and that have low expense ratios. The performance of mutual funds in 401(k) plans only persists in a short horizon. Our analysis indicates that the menus of 401(k) investment options do not exhibit a signaling effect, indicating that investment options in 401(k) plans do not supply useful information about the future performance of mutual funds for investors in selecting mutual funds.     

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.     

基于投资者偏好的证券投资基金产品线选择研究

随着开放式基金品种的增加和基金公司规模的壮大,证券投资基金市场的竞争日趋激烈。为了实现经营目标,投资基金公司可以考虑通过合理的产品线设计,提升产品对基金投资者的吸引力。本文借助于产品线理论及设计方法,提出基金产品线选择的概念;通过收集目标投资者的偏好信息,建立一个基于投资者偏好的基金产品线选择模型;利用所建立的模型并结合混合联合分析法,给出基金产品线选择的一个实例。     

An empirical analysis of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Wall Street Journal’s</Emphasis> SmartMoney fund screen

We examine mutual funds that appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s SmartMoney Fund Screen column from September 2004 through July 2009. We find that the majority of funds listed do not have Morningstar’s highest five star rating. Regardless of Morningstar rating, the average prepublication performance of the funds is significantly higher than the benchmarks used to measure performance. Post publication, fund performance declines, and the decline is statistically significant across our performance measures. However, additional tests indicate that the SmartMoney funds which have a three or four star rating from Morningstar are better investment values than corresponding five star Morningstar funds with the same prospectus objective and expense ratio.     

Looking for sustainable development: Socially responsible mutual funds and the low-carbon economy

Sustainable investment responds to demands for carbon and climate-neutral societies. To address the urgency around climate change and provide investors with more qualified information, Morningstar has developed the Low Carbon Designation (LCD) to indicate that the companies held in a portfolio are in general alignment with the transition to a low-carbon economy. The designation is given to portfolios that have low carbon risk and fossil fuel exposure scores. The present study builds on the LCD by examining the relationship between these scores and financial performance. With this aim, we analyze 3920 socially responsible mutual funds from across the world. Results show differences in financial performance according to scores and investment areas. We find evidence that funds considered to have higher levels of sustainability achieved better performance than funds with higher exposure to companies involved in carbon and fossil fuel industries. We provide insights on the informativeness of these new scores with a focus on climate change and their relevance in helping investors to identify climate-aware funds. This study highlights the importance of introducing strategies to develop green finance; the analysis confirms that sustainability improves performance. Finally, the LCD indicator is shown to be relevant for making fairer comparisons among socially responsible funds and, ultimately, for developing low-carbon economies.     

Mutual fund performance: The decision quality and capital magnet efficiencies

This study employs a two-stage network data envelopment analysis model to analyze the decision quality and capital magnet efficiencies of 155 mutual funds in Taiwan during the period 2007–2016. The empirical results show that fund managers improved their decision quality; however, their capital magnet efficiency declined. This study also found 10 mutual funds performing in decision quality and capital magnet efficiencies, from which practical suggestions are provided to investors. Finally, this study constructs a market competition matrix to help fund managers (and investors) improve their operating and portfolio performance, plus resource allocation.     

开放式基金和基金家族业绩持续性研究

我国证券投资基金快速发展,从属于同一家基金管理公司的单个基金越来越多,形成基金家族。本文研究从单个基金和基金家族的整体两个层面,采用实证检验方法对其业绩持续性进行研究,研究表明我国开放式基金仅具有短期的业绩持续性,而基金家族的整体业绩不存在持续性,籍此结果提示投资者不应仅仅关注基金的短期业绩,应更多关注基金的长期业绩表现,规避投资中对家族和规模的偏好,关注高价值基金,才能最大程度保障资金安全和自身的利益。     

Mutual fund flows and investors’ expectations in BRICS economies: Implications for international diversification

This paper empirically examines the relationship between different classes of mutual funds, measures of investors’ expectations and business cycle movements in the BRICS markets over the 1996Q1-2017Q3 period. Applying the Panel Vector Autoregressive (PVAR) model in a Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) setting, the results suggest a strong causal relationship between mutual fund flows and measures of investors’ future expectations. In particular, fund flows are forward-looking and assist in forecasting real economic conditions. Moreover, investors choose to invest in riskier funds when economic conditions are good, while they prefer safer options in poor economic situations. These findings have important implications for international diversification.     

Measuring sustainability risks: A rational myth?

The objective of this paper is to investigate the rigorousness and reliability of sustainability rating agencies' evaluation of corporate sustainability risks. Using grounded theory, this study conducts a qualitative analysis of 32 semi‐structured interviews with practitioners involved in this activity and shows the trade‐offs and rational myths underlying this evaluation process. The image of rationality and rigorousness projected by sustainability risk measurements is mostly intended to address the increasing institutional pressures for reliable and comparable information, particularly from institutional investors and socially responsible investment decision makers. Nevertheless, risk analysts face serious challenges due to the lack of reliable information, the unpredictability of sustainability risks, the methodological issues related to the measurement process, and the complexity and context‐dependency of risk assessment. These challenges call into question the official and optimistic rhetoric of rating agencies. This study contributes to the literature on sustainability risks and rational myths in organizations. Managerial implications and avenues for future research are also discussed.     

基于价格预测能力的基金羊群效应模型与算例分析

本文总结了现有羊群效应实证模型的不足,基于基金价格预测能力,构建了可以更加精确地判断每只基金的投资决策作为一种信号是否会对其他基金投资决策带来影响的实证模型。分析结果显示,大多数基金都能够产生明显的羊群效应。本文在模型建立过程中还提出了新的基金评价思路,为更加细致的羊群效应实证研究方法提供借鉴。     

我国投资基金业绩的持续性分析

基金业绩的持续性是指业绩优秀的基金以后一段时间继续保持优秀的业绩,而业绩差的基金继续表现出差的业绩。如果基金具有持续性,对于投资者来讲,他们可以买进前期业绩优秀的基金,而卖出前期业绩差的基金,来获取超额收益,投资者不必耗费大量的资金和时间去评价和选择基金经理。本文就基金业绩持续性的研究理论方法进行阐述,并对我国投资基金作实证分析。     

A case study of ethical/green/environmental funds,corporate governance and stakeholder management

This paper investigates how far green, ethical and/or environmental funds are deployed to represent the interests of the individual investors and to what extent the business community is encouraged to adopt ‘greener’ behaviour. Data were collected through a questionnaire and developed in the form of a case study. Twenty green ethical and environmental funds were surveyed in the UK. The main findings are that fund managers claim that their funds are invested on behalf of the investors. They see their fund promoting the ethical/environmental values of the investors. Fund managers further think that they have an influence on companies they invest in and believe in encouraging companies to become better corporate citizens. There is, however, little evidence of funds' action on companies. While green/ethical funds, and more generally the financial community, are potentially powerful instruments of change, they are, however, still very much governed by conventional financial tools and criteria.     

短期内机构投资者行为和股票价格的互作分析

研究短期内机构投资者行为与不同规模公司股价的相互影响.在机构投资者对股价的影响方面,阐释并论证了机构持股比例增量与当日股价的正相关关系,指出机构对大盘股的影响强于对小盘股的影响.机构资金流入(流出)的定性信息本身对股价上升(下降)有额外的促进作用;相对于撤资而言,股价对机构的注资行为更敏感;而对小盘股,该不对称性更加明显.此外,当日收益率和前三天内的机构资金流入存在负相关关系,且该种负关系在大盘股中的表现比在小盘股中更为明显.在股价对机构投资者行为的反馈作用方面,以实证结果阐明了股价上升(下降)的信息本身可对机构行为有缓冲作用,且该作用对小盘股影响大于对大盘股的影响.研究显示,在短期内机构更倾向于动量交易,这在小盘股中尤为明显.三天前收益率对当日机构行为的影响颇为明显,且与一天前的收益率的影响力相当;相对而言,两天前收益率对机构行为的影响不甚明显.     

大数据背景下基金交易风险分析及其投资价值分析

当前属于信息化时代,大数据技术应运而生,在新的时代背景下,基金交易的价值与投资风险也随之而改变。随着人民的生活水平日益上升,国民财富总值不断攀高,有了更多资金流入资本市场。其中基金市场凭借其稳定收益与较低风险成为资金流入的首要目标。但是基金投资中备受关注的风险——信息缺陷风险,使得众多投资者饱受亏损。论文通过大数据技术分析基金投资中的交易风险和投资价值,为基金投资决策提供建议。     

Portfolio Selection and the Investment Performance of the UK Pension Funds*

Pension funds are the main institutional investors, accounting for 38 per cent of personal sector net financial wealth. As a result of their growing importance in mobilizing personal sector saving, they have emerged as the principal institutional investor, controlling over £200bn of funds at the end of 1987, their total net assets equalling 38 per cent of personal sector net financial wealth. Pension funds also dominate domestic asset markets, owning 27per cent of the stock of outstanding UK equity, 23 per cent of UK government securities and 17 per cent of total UK holdings of overseas equity. In this paper we present the conclusions from recent research, undertaken as part of an updating of the LBS Financial Model. Our results suggest that UK pension fund investment since 1980 is better than previous studies have suggested and, in particular, that funds outperformed the equity market in the 1980s, offering a higher return for any given level of risk. In addition fund behaviour is slow to change, with past behaviour exerting the strongest influence on current investment patterns. Fund managers also appear guilty of “short termism” in that they place little weight on events beyond the next three months. However, this has not made them inefficient. Finally, we find that actions to restrict the funds' surpluses should not affect their investment behaviour. Our results also suggest that the costs from exchange controls in the 1970s were substantial, amounting to some £4bn per year.     

Measures for Sustainable Investment Decisions and Business Strategy – A Triple Bottom Line Approach

Traditionally, most investors have only taken economic variables (profitability and risk) into account when making investment decisions. In this paper we propose two measures, the Relative Sustainable Performance Measure (RSPM) and the Measure of Commitment‐failure (MC), that permit sustainable decision making, which takes environmental and social variables into consideration in addition to the economic variables, for both investors and companies themselves. This makes a triple bottom line (TBL) approach to investment decision making possible. We apply our measures to the worldwide chemical sector and validate them. Moreover, we propose a 2D graphical sustainability analysis, which is simple and easy for investors to understand when making investment decisions and can be used if they are concerned about environmental and social matters. It also enables companies to analyse their sustainability performance and adapt their business plans accordingly. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment