Previous literature documents that mutual funds' flows increase more than linearly with realized performance. I show this convex flow-performance relationship is consistent with a dynamic contracting model in which investors learn about the fund manager's skill. My model predicts that flows...

This paper introduces a general continuous-time mathematical framework for solution of dynamic mean-variance control problems. We obtain theoretical results for two classes of functionals: the first one depends on the whole trajectory of the controlled process and the second one is based on its...

In this note, we focus on the portfolio optimization problem for a DC pension fund. We extended the work in [Gao, J., 2009. Optimal portfolios for DC pension plans under a CEV model. Insurance: Mathematics & Economics 44, 479-490] by considering pension funds with multiple contributors. Benefit...

This paper investigates the financial risk-taking behavior of pension funds since 2000. I assemble a new database containing portfolio holdings of more than 100 pension funds from 14 advanced economies. The study reveals three key findings. First, I show that pension fund portfolios have become...

The paper builds on a simple yet novel idea that the way investors react to the recent mutual fund performance depends largely upon the long-term historical performance of that fund. In particular, I find that investors react more actively to the fund's recent performance in case of the funds...

I show that investors misallocate a substantial amount of capital in the active mutual fund industry. To this end, I develop a novel structural identification strategy to estimate the returns to scale in active management and the time-varying fund skills. A median fund is over-allocated by $29...

This paper reports the results of a survey of nine Dutch (AUM EUR 342 billion) and five Canadian (AUM CAD 203 billion) pension funds and fiduciary managers on the investment and management decisions regarding illiquid assets. The Dutch pension funds in our sample invest 15% of their portfolio in...

We propose a theory in which each stock's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) score plays two roles: 1) providing information about firm fundamentals and 2) affecting investor preferences. The solution to the investor's portfolio problem is characterized by an ESG-efficient frontier,...

We find remarkable heterogeneity in the investment strategies of pension funds with similar objectives. We use bias-free data to measure their investment strategies through factor exposures within equity and fixed income portfolios. Consistent with our model we find that the funding ratio, risk...

Major index fund operators have been criticized as ineffective stewards of the firms in which they are now the largest shareholders. While scholars debate whether this passivity is a serious problem, index funds' generally docile approach to ownership is broadly acknowledged. However, this...