Is shareholder interest in corporate social responsibility driven by pecuniary motives (abnormal rates of return) or non-pecuniary ones (willingness to sacrifice returns to address various firm externalities)? To answer this question, we categorize the literature into seven tests: (1) costs of...

There is a growing literature examining futures based trading strategies and the performance of Commodity Trading Advisors (CTAs). In this paper, we test the validity of three key assumptions used in these studies. The validity of basing conclusions on analysis of synthetic rather than market...

We use the introduction of exchange-traded notes (ETNs) as a way to examine which characteristics of institutional investors' preferences are generalizable across new types of security design, as well as to infer which of the novel characteristics of ETN are in demand from institutions. As with...

We present comprehensive evidence in support of giving liquidity equal standing to size, value/growth, and momentum as investment styles, as defined by Sharpe (1992). First, we show that financial market liquidity, as identified by stock turnover, is an economically significant indicator of...

Open-end mutual funds have grown to become a key player in the corporate bond market. They invest in illiquid bonds but provide liquid claims to shareholders. Does such liquidity transformation introduce fragility to the corporate bond market? To address this question, we create a novel measure...

Recent literature shows that hedge fund activism creates value for shareholders and substantially changes target firms. Sell-side analysts, however, produce analysis and generate ideas to buy-side clients including hedge funds. We investigate whether and how sell-side analyst reports affect...

Despite the growing interest in green investing among academics and industry professionals alike, there is little consensus on whether it successfully incentivizes firms to adopt eco-friendly business practices. Using the equity holdings of institutional investors and the “demand system...

We provide detailed descriptions, including over 550 mathematical formulas, for over 150 trading strategies across a host of asset classes (and trading styles). This includes stocks, options, fixed income, futures, ETFs, indexes, commodities, foreign exchange, convertibles, structured assets,...

I investigate whether or not the multi-period trades of financial institutions cause mispricing in the stock market. After controlling for the magnitude and trends in institutional trades, I find evidence consistent with institutional trades pushing prices away from fundamentals. Stocks heavily...

This study examines whether mutual funds herd in industries and the extent to which such herding impacts industry valuations. Using two herding measures proposed by Lakonishok et al. (1992) and Sias (2004) we document that mutual funds herd in industries. We show that industry herding is not...