This paper provides new evidence supporting the rationality of closed-end fund discounts by analyzing the time-series dynamics of individual fund discounts and their relation to portfolio performance and manager turnover. We show that discount changes reflect rational investor learning about...

Based on the records of 1183 individual fund managers from 1985 to 2010, we investigate the compensation and discipline mechanisms in the closed-end fund industry and their implications for manager performance and fund premium. We find that managers generating high surplus, as proxied by fund...

In traditional portfolio theory, risk management is limited to the choice of the relative weights of the riskless asset and a diversified basket of risky securities, respectively. Yet in industry, risk management represents a central aspect of asset management, with distinct responsibilities and...

We examine the dynamics of assets under management (AUM) and management fees at the portfolio manager level in the closed-end fund industry. We find that managers capitalize on good past performance and favorable investor perception about future performance, as reflected in fund premiums,...

This paper shows theoretically and empirically that beta- and volatility-based low risk anomalies are driven by return skewness. The empirical patterns con- cisely match the predictions of our model which generates skewness of stock returns via default risk. With increasing downside risk, the...

What are the cross-sectional and time-series characteristics of corporate bond returns? Do corporate bond risk premia vary over time and are these time-variations predictable? And if yes, is it a sign of market inefficiency? Recent empirical studies show a strong mean reversion at the monthly...

Asset managers usually define a policy portfolio to provide a long-term benchmark. According to the CAPM, the policy portfolio should be the value weighted market portfolio of all assets. However, the practical implementation of such a policy portfolio is not straightforward. First, it is...

We study asset management decisions of three competing student managed funds in Vienna Austria for a 10 year period. This real-world experience allows us to precisely test the tournament effect of fund management, the disposition effect and managerial team size. We find support for risk taking...

We examine the dynamics of assets under management (AUM) and management fees at the portfolio manager level in the closed-end fund industry. We find that managers capitalize on good past performance and favorable investor perceptions about future performance, as reflected in fund premiums,...