A large amount of activity in the financial sector occurs in secondary financial markets, where securities are traded among investors without capital flowing to firms. The stock market is the archetypal example, which in most developed economies captures a lot of attention and resources. Is the...

This review surveys the literature on the economics of mutual funds in general, and open-end mutual funds in particular. This mutual fund design has been very successful, though it carries risks that have recently been realized at large scales. It also frustrates the analysis of performance in...

Cash flows between investors and funds are both cause and effect in a complex web of economic decisions. Among the issues at stake are the prospects and fees of the funds, the efforts and risk choices by the funds’ managers, the pricing and comovement of the assets they trade, the stability of...