ESG-Washing in the Mutual Funds Industry? From Information Asymmetry to Regulation

In this paper, we study the asymmetric information between asset managers and investors in the socially responsible investment (SRI) market. Specifically, we investigate the lack of transparency of the extra-financial information communicated by asset managers. Using a unique international panel dataset of approximately 1500 equity mutual funds, we provide empirical evidence that some asset managers portray themselves as socially responsible yet do not make tangible investment decisions. Furthermore, our results indicate that the financial performance of mutual funds is not related to asset managers’ signals but should be evaluated relatively using extra-financial ratings. In summary, our findings advocate for a unified regulation framework that constrains asset managers’ communication.

Regime-Switching Determinants of Mutual Fund Performance in South Africa

This study assesses the effect of fund-level and systemic factors on the performance of mutual funds in the context of changing market conditions. A Markov regime-switching model is used to analyze the performance of 33 South African equity mutual funds from 2006 to 2019. From the results, fund flow and fund size exert more predictive influences on performance in the bearish state of the market than in the bullish state. Fund age, fund risk, and market risk were found to be the most significant factors driving the performance of active portfolios under time-varying conditions of the market. These variables exert more influence on fund performance under bearish conditions than under bullish conditions, emphasizing the flight-to-liquidity assets phenomenon and risk-aversion behavior of fund contributors during unstable conditions of the market. Consequently, fund managers need to maintain adequate asset bases while implementing policies that minimize dispersions in fund returns to engender persistence in performance. This study provides novel perspectives on how the determinants of fund performance change with market conditions as portrayed by the adaptive market hypothesis (AMH).

Impact of COVID-19 on the performance of emerging market mutual funds: evidence from India

The purpose of this paper is to examine the widely believed beating capacity of actively managed funds during the market downturn. This popular hypothesis has been tested with the performance of Indian Equity Mutual Funds during the pandemic period. The conditional alphas are estimated using lagged instrumental variables with the fixed effect/LSDV estimator and the sys-GMM estimator in contrast to the OLS estimation from a sample of 1271 schemes for 5 months from 1st March 2020 to 31st July 2020. The study’s findings indicate that the actively managed Indian mutual fund co-moves with the market and does not possess the ability to beat the market. The major implication comes from the application of fixed effect and GMM estimators for the performance evaluation of Indian Mutual Funds’ during the crisis period, and it serves the investors in deciding the profitable investment opportunities.

Manipulation and performance persistence: an examination of Iranian equity mutual fund performance

Purpose This paper aims to study manipulation and performance persistence in equity mutual funds. To this end, Manipulation-Proof Performance Measure (MPPM) and Doubt Ratio, along with a number of current performance measures are used to evaluate the performance of equity mutual funds in Iran. Design/methodology/approach The authors investigate performance manipulation by 1) comparing the results of the MPPM with the current performance measures, 2) checking the Doubt Ratio to detect suspicious funds. Additionally, the authors investigate performance persistence by forming and evaluating portfolios of the equity mutual funds at several time horizons. Findings The authors conclude that there is no evidence of performance manipulation in the equity mutual funds. Additionally, when comparing the performance of the upper (top) tertile portfolios and the lower tertile portfolios, in all of the studied 1, 3, 6 and 12-month horizons, the authors find performance persistence in the equity mutual funds. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this research is the first study to investigate the performance manipulation in the Iranian equity mutual funds, and also is the first study in Iran that uses the MPPM and the Doubt Ratio in addition to a number of current performance measures to investigate the performance persistence in the equity mutual funds at several time horizons.

ANALYSIS OF THE PERFORMANCE OF INDONESIAN MUTUAL STOCK FUNDS USING SHARPE, TREYNOR, JENSEN AND M2 METHOD PERIOD 2010 – 2019

This study examines the performance of equity mutual funds using Sharpe, Treynor, Jensen, and M2. The sample used in this study is 57 stock mutual funds in 2015 – 2019 and 29 stock mutual funds in 2010 – 2019. The performance of stock mutual funds will be compared with LQ – 45 and IHSG to find out whether they underperform or outperform on market performance. The results showed that when seen in years 2015 - 2019 with the benchmark LQ - 45, 11 equity funds outperformed by using Sharpe, Treynor, and M2, and 12 mutual funds stocks outperformed by using a Jensen. Using the Composite Index as the benchmark, it is found that four equity funds outperformed by using Sharpe, M2, and 5 equity funds outperformed by using Treynor and Jensen from 57 samples of mutual fund shares. From the performance of the year 2010 - 2019, it is found that the 10 equity funds outperformed by using Sharpe and M2, and 15 equity funds outperformed by using Treynor and Jensen with LQ – 45 as the benchmark. The Composite Index found that 0 of stock mutual funds outperformed by using Sharpe and M2, while 3 mutual funds outperformed using Treynor and 2 mutual funds outperformed using Jensen from 29 stock mutual funds samples.

The Effect of SBI Interest Rates, Rupiah Exchange Rates, and Inflation on Net Asset Value of Equity Mutual Funds in 2015-2018

This study aims to determine the effect of SBI interest rates, Rupiah Exchange Rates, and inflation on the net asset value of equity funds in Indonesia for the 2015-2018 period. This study uses a quantitative approach with analysis tests using multiple linear regression tests, where there are three independent variables and one dependent variable. The type of data in this study uses secondary data, in the form of data taken from the official website of Bank Indonesia. The research sample was determined by purposive sampling method with sample criteria so that it obttained 9 samples of mutual fund products over four years from 2015-2018 so as many as 36 samples of Mutual Fund Products. Based on the results of analysis technique that have been done, the results of 3 independent variables show that the exchange rate of the rupiah and inflation have no effect the net asset value of mutual fund shares, while the value of SBI interest rates effect the net asset value of stock mutual funds.

ANALISIS UMUR REKSADANA, EXPENSE RATIO DAN KINERJA REKSADANA SAHAM DI PERUSAHAAN MANDIRI INVESTASI PERIODE 2014-2019

Mutual funds are investment facilities that are used to raise funds from the investor community for further investment in securities portfolios by investment managers, and subsequently invested in stocks, bonds, time deposits, money market, and so on. Mutual fund performance is influenced by the determining factors of whether a mutual fund performs well or poorly, the mutual fund performance factor, namely the first is the age / age of the mutual fund (Fund Age), the second is the comparison between operating costs in one year and the average net asset value in one year (Expense Ratio) and the third is Net Asset Value (NAV). The formulation of the problems in this research are (1) How is the development of the age of equity funds in Mandiri Investasi for the 2014-2019 period? (2) How is the development of the stock mutual fund expense ratio at the Mandiri Investasi period of 2014-2019? net assets (NAV) of equity mutual funds performance at Mandiri Investasi for the 2014-2019 period. This study aims to determine the development of mutual funds age, expense ratio and net asset value (NAV) of the performance of Mandiri Investa Attractive (MITRA) equity funds in Mandiri Investasi for the period 2014-2019. The objects examined in this study are variables in the form of mutual funds age, expense ratio, and mutual fund performance (NAV). Methods of data analysis in this study using descriptive analysis methods. The results of the research conducted were the age development of Mandiri Investa Attraktf (MITRA) equity funds at the Mandiri Investasi company, which experienced an increase in age in 2014-2019. Expense ratio development in 2014-2019 has decreased. And in the development of equity mutual funds performance, namely the net asset value (NAV) in 2014-2019 experienced fluctuations.