Mutual fund manager turnover: an empirical investigation of performance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash Ghalke ◽  
Shripad Kulkarni

PurposeWhen a fund manager leaves, the investment strategy of the fund changes or remains the same. The departing fund manager's resignation is either forced or voluntary. The study investigates the relationship between the portfolio manager's transition and the fund's investment strategy and how the change affects the mutual fund returns in the subsequent period.Design/methodology/approachThe authors examine 148 fund manager changes in India between April 2005–March 2018 using three performance measures: abnormal return (fund return minus benchmark return), Jensen's alpha and Carhart four-factor alpha. The analysis includes an event study methodology, followed by a two-step Fama–MacBeth regression approach.FindingsContrary to the previous studies conducted in the developed markets, the authors find that fund performance improves irrespective of whether the fund manager change is forced or voluntary. The outperformance after the fund manager's exit is significant for funds belonging to the larger fund families.Originality/valueIn the context of investment management, the authors provide a conceptual framework to understand the effect of fund manager exit on mutual fund performance. The authors substantiate their arguments with empirical evidence. To the best of the authors' understanding, this is the first research to examine the effect of changing mutual fund managers in an emerging market setting.

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 11714-11723

We empirically examine fund managers’ stock selection and market timing ability using various risk-adjusted measures such as CAPM and multifactor models of FamaFrench (1993) and Carhart (1997) to gauge mutual fund performance in India. The sample consists of 183 actively managed equity-oriented funds and covers the period from April 2000 to March 2018. The study, on the whole, documents some evidence of positive and significant stock selection ability but fails to yield any notable evidence of market timing ability of fund managers. Our results are robust according to various riskadjusted performance evaluation techniques, sub-period analysis, excluding the crisis period and at the individual fund level. The findings of our study are in line with the previous studies that report limited selectivity skill and market timing ability among fund managers. The main implication of the study is that active portfolio management may not be very rewarding in comparison to a passive investment strategy.


2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 167-187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zia-ur-Rehman Rao ◽  
Muhammad Zubair Tauni ◽  
Amjad Iqbal ◽  
Muhammad Umar

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to find whether Chinese equity funds outperform the market and do Chinese fund managers possess positive market timing ability. This study also aims to investigate whether well-performing (worst) funds of last year continue to perform well (worst) in the following year. Design/methodology/approach Capital Asset Pricing Model and Carhart four-factor model are used for performance analysis, whereas for analyzing market timing ability, the Treynor and Mazuy (1966) and Henriksson and Merton (1981) models are applied. To investigate persistence in the performance of Chinese equity funds, all equity funds are divided, on the basis of performance in the past 12 months, into three equally weighted groups (high, middle and low) and then observed for next 12 months. After that, groups are again rebalanced according to their performance. This study uses a panel regression model for analysis. Findings Chinese equity funds are successful in providing higher than market returns, and fund managers possess positive market timing ability. The authors find that Chinese equity funds do not show persistence in performance as witnessed in developed markets. Well-performing funds (worst funds) of last year do not continue to provide higher (lower) return in the following year. Moreover, the authors detect positive relationship of fund size, age and expense ratio with the fund’s performance. Overall results suggest that emerging market equity funds show better performance than that of developed markets. Practical implications Investors are better off if they invest in equity funds instead of index funds, as results illustrate that equity funds outperformed the market. Further, the strategy of buying well-performing funds of last year and selling poorly performing funds of last year does not look very attractive in China. This study helps investors to understand the Chinese managed funds industry, and such an understanding is also helpful for fund managers and asset management companies who use performance information in marketing strategies. Originality/value This is the first study to investigate the performance persistence in Chinese equity funds and also contributes to the literature about the performance and market timing ability of equity funds. The study takes the sample of 520 equity funds for the period from 2004 to 2014, which includes a period of financial crisis of 2008.


2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Margarita Kaprielyan ◽  
Md Miran Hossain ◽  
Charles Armah Danso

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether mutual funds (MFs) take positions in companies that subsequently engage in M&As and whether fund managers adjust portfolio holdings in the same direction as wealth creation from mergers. Further, the study is the first to examine the relation between active trading surrounding M&As and risk-adjusted performance in MFs. Design/methodology/approach The sample includes mergers conducted by publicly traded acquirers of public and private targets over 2003–2016. Several measures of MF managerial activeness in M&As are introduced: merger trading intensity (proportional change in fund’s holdings of M&A stocks), active merger weight (deviation of the fund’s actual weights in M&A stocks and value weights) and active merger trading (deviation of the fund’s actual weights in M&A stocks from the average weights in M&A stocks across the funds within the same Center for Research in Security Prices objective). Findings Fund managers who are more vested in the firms engaged in M&As and who are more active in their trades of M&A firms generate higher contemporaneous and subsequent risk-adjusted performance, indicative of managerial skill. Active M&A trading effect on performance is economically meaningful. Originality/value This is the first study to examine whether previously documented predictive power of active institutions regarding M&As’ profitability leads to higher risk-adjusted returns for MF investors. The study introduces several measures to gauge how actively fund managers trade companies engaged in M&As and contributes to the literature on MF managers’ ability to pick stocks.


2015 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 806-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prateek Sharma ◽  
Samit Paul

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to utilize a constrained random portfolio-based framework for measuring the skill of a cross-section of Indian mutual fund managers. Specifically, the authors test whether the observed performance implies superior investment skill on the part of mutual fund managers. Additionally, the authors investigate the suitability of mutual fund investments under diverse investor expectations. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a new skill measurement methodology based on a cross-section of constrained random portfolios (Burns, 2007). Findings – The authors find no evidence of superior investment skill in the sample of Indian equity mutual funds. Using a series of statistical tests, the authors conclude that the mutual funds fail to outperform the random portfolios. Furthermore, mutual funds show no persistence in their performance over time. These results are robust to choice of performance measure and the investment horizon. However, mutual funds provide lower downside risks and may be suitable for investors with high degree of risk aversion. Originality/value – The authors extend Burns’ (2007) methodology in several aspects, especially by using a much wider range of performance and downside risk measures to address diverse investor expectations. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is first study to apply the constrained random portfolios-based skill tests in an emerging market.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 57-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iuliia Naidenova ◽  
Petr Parshakov ◽  
Marina Zavertiaeva ◽  
Eduardo Tomé

Purpose – This paper aims to explore whether individual intellectual capital of a fund manager allows mutual fund to outperform market. Design/methodology/approach – The sample includes 85 Russian equity funds for the period of 2013. First, Jensen’s alpha for each fund has been calculated, and then cross-sectional regression analysis has been used. While only a part of fund managers publish biographic sketches, the authors use the Heckman procedure to control for self-selection issues. Findings – The results support the idea that the individual characteristics indicate the possibility to earn abnormal alpha. Managers with economic education and with Moscow education perform better than others. Relationship between both fund performance measures and manager’s experience has inverted U-shape. Jensen’s alpha reaches its highest level at the point of 9 years, whereas beta – at 10 years of manager’s experience. Research limitations/implications – Investigation can be improved by including more variables that influence the disclosure of managers’ personal information, for example, by conducting surveys. Additionally, cross-sectional data restrict the analysis. Practical implications – The discovered characteristics of managers’ intellectual capital can be used as additional screening tool for the investor who is deciding on mutual fund choice in Russia. While individual intellectual capital is observable and more persistent in time in comparison with the past fund performance, such tool allows better decision-making. Originality/value – This is the first paper that explores which characteristics of Russian fund managers are connected with higher abnormal return (measured by Jensen’s alpha) and risk (beta) of mutual funds.


2018 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anni Lapatto ◽  
Vesa Puttonen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to study how the target fund in mutual fund mergers performed compared to the acquiring funds had they not been merged but continued on their own as buy-and-hold portfolios. Design/methodology/approach The authors develop a novel approach to examine post-merger wealth effects. The authors’ study how the target portfolios would have performed compared to the funds acquiring them had they not been merged but continued on their own as passive portfolios. The data set consists of 793 merging US equity funds from January 2003 to December 2014. Findings The authors find that the target portfolio shareholders would have been better off if the target fund had been converted from an actively managed fund to a passively managed fund that maintained their current holdings. Research limitations/implications The findings are the opposite to many previous studies who view target fund shareholders as the major beneficiaries in mutual fund mergers. Practical implications Investors receiving notification of their fund merging should reconsider their investment strategy. If they wish to maintain the original strategy of their fund, they should oppose the merger. Alternatively they may withdraw their money from the (soon-to-be) merged fund, replicate the latest portfolio of their fund, and buy-and-hold that portfolio. Originality/value The authors develop a novel approach to examine post-merger wealth effects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 227-239
Author(s):  
Qiang Bu

Purpose The standard market models assume that all investors are rational with the same level of risk aversion, whereas investors in the real world are neither rational nor homogeneous. This contrast makes these models inappropriate for evaluating manager skill. The purpose of this paper is to attempt to bridge the gap between model assumption and fund investment practice. Design/methodology/approach This study proposes a series of modified models using the excess return of peer funds to estimate fund alpha. In these models, the market excess return in the standard market models is replaced with the average excess return of bootstrapped funds. In addition, the author examines the reasons for the difference between the modified models and the standard models. Findings The modified models better explain the variation of fund returns, and they exhibit that a considerably higher percentage of funds can earn positive alpha, thus the skill of fund managers is underestimated based on the standard market models. Originality/value The proposed models provide a more reliable method for investors to identify skilled fund managers, and they can also serve as an objective benchmark in evaluating fund performance and in designing manager compensation packages.


Author(s):  
Rofikoh Rokhim ◽  
Irma Octaviani

Purpose This paper aims to examine whether Sharia mutual fund managers are able to gain abnormal returns from what is called the Ramadhan effect. Design/methodology/approach The authors use GARCH regression on daily data of domestic Sharia mutual fund performance in Indonesia and Malaysia over the period of 2007-2017. Findings The authors find that the Ramadhan effect is not a strong predictor of Sharia fund excess return in Indonesia and Malaysia, and they identify a positive Ramadhan abnormal return on the Malaysia Sharia Equity Fund. This result shows there is size effect on sharia fund excess return in Indonesia and value effect on Sharia Balanced Fund in both markets. It is suggested that the effect of market excess return in Indonesia is stronger than in Malaysia. Research limitations/implications The samples are limited to Sharia Funds over the period 2007-2017. Practical implications The authors suggest that size and value effect could be considered to develop the selection and timing strategies to explore the Ramadhan effect. Originality/value This study focuses on Indonesia and Malaysia, the two largest Islamic Stock Markets in Southeast Asia and examines specific on Sharia Mutual Fund (equity and balanced fund). It also compares differences in total performance measures between the Ramadhan period and non-Ramadhan period.


2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
О. А. Bank

Mutual fund managers do not have full freedom in choosing investment strategies - they are limited both by the laws and by investment declarations of the funds. Investment strategy cannot be fully changed even in financial crisis but it only can be corrected. This fact could not be characterized as a disadvantage because different types of funds are efficient in different time even during the same economic recession. Mutual fund manager should rationally invest funds of their clients: it is better to keep the maximum possible part of the portfolio in cash and instruments with fixed income on the declining market and it is better to keep shares on the rising market. However the choice of bonds also as the choice of shares should pay respect for the features of these instruments during unfavorable economic conditions. Russian mutual fund management differs from fund management in other countries as in stable economic situation so in the circumstances of financial crisis.


Author(s):  
Flavio Angelini ◽  
Katia Colaneri ◽  
Stefano Herzel ◽  
Marco Nicolosi

AbstractWe study the optimal asset allocation problem for a fund manager whose compensation depends on the performance of her portfolio with respect to a benchmark. The objective of the manager is to maximise the expected utility of her final wealth. The manager observes the prices but not the values of the market price of risk that drives the expected returns. Estimates of the market price of risk get more precise as more observations are available. We formulate the problem as an optimization under partial information. The particular structure of the incentives makes the objective function not concave. Therefore, we solve the problem by combining the martingale method and a concavification procedure and we obtain the optimal wealth and the investment strategy. A numerical example shows the effect of learning on the optimal strategy.


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