How does sovereign risk affect investors' behavior? We answer this question using a novel database that combines sovereign default probabilities for 27 developed and emerging markets with monthly data on the portfolios of individual bond mutual funds. We first show that changes in yields do not...

Despite the exponential increase in the literature related to the performance of Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), risk management with respect to the measurement of performance persistence remains largely unexplored. In this paper, we investigate the impact of geolocation and investment...

We find evidence that hedge funds significantly manipulate stock prices on critical reporting dates. We document that stocks held by hedge funds experience higher returns on the last day of the quarter, followed by a reversal the next day. For example, the stocks in the top quartile of hedge...

This paper examines institutional investors' propensity to invest in a relatively unknown asset class of listed private equity. Based on data provided by LPEQ, Preqin and Scorpio Partnership covering 171 institutional investors in Europe in 2008-2010, we find allocations are primarily a function...

This paper extends the standard Merton portfolio choice model to include illiquid private equity funds. This is done in a realistic modeling framework where private equity funds cannot be traded during their entire bounded lifecycle and involve capital commitments and intermediate capital...

After taking into account biases induced by infrequent trading and selection, it is unlikely that illiquid asset classes have higher risk-adjusted returns than traditional liquid stock and bond markets. On the other hand, there are significant illiquidity premiums within asset classes. Portfolio...

This paper addresses the questions whether European mutual fund managers rely on sell-side analyst information with respect to their investment decisions and whether this behavior impacts fund performance. Based on a sample of over 4,300 European mutual funds and around 1.2 million portfolio...

We investigate the impact of the reputation of a private equity group (PEG) on financing costs in leveraged buyouts (LBOs). PEGs with a strong reputation have superior selection abilities and may be able to obtain cheaper LBO loans due to their role in limiting moral hazard or their impact on...

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...