Pension fund return s can be decomposed into different sources, including market movements, asset allo-cation policy, and active portfolio management. We use a unique database covering the asset allocations of US defined-benefit pension funds for the perio d 1990–2008, and we test the role...

With hedgefunds, managers develop risk management models that mainly aim to play on the effect of de correlation.In order to achieve this goal,companies use the correlation coefficient as an indicator for measuring dependencies existing between(i)the various hedge funds strategies and share...

The unconventional monetary policies implemented in the wake of the subprime crisis and the recent increase in inflation volatility have revived the debate on medium to long-term resurgence of inflation. This paper presents the optimal strategic asset allocation for investors seeking to hedge...

This paper shows by means of the concept of utility that annuitization through life annui-ties or a pension can be an efficient instrument for the economic assurance of seniors. Various quantitative arguments are presented supporting this statement (e.g. annuity equivalent wealth [AEW] is...

Using fund-, firm- and bank-level data we investigate the investments of private equity (PE) funds in the north-western regions of Italy. Both the private equity fund managers and the PE investments are heavily concentrated in this most developed area of the country. The average size of the...

Mutual funds are part of larger organizations, which make decisions with consequences for all their member funds. This study examines how the efficiency of trading desks operated by fund families affects the performance and trading of affiliated funds. We introduce a novel approach to measure...

This study tries to investigate the performance of specific stylized mutual funds focusing on the matched professional abilities of fund managers, based upon their relative educational backgrounds. Using a 2001–2011 dataset on 1164 fund managers investing in the Taiwan Stock Exchange...

Market timing is the ability of portfolio managers to anticipate stock market return by increasing (decreasing) portfolio sensitivity in upward (downward) markets. To assess market timing, the financial literature has proposed return-based and holdings-based measures. Our objective is to analyze...

Applying a novel data set that covers the emerging Asia equity funds over a period from 2003 to 2009 at weekly frequency, we provide evidence of the existence of a U-shaped relationship between fund size and performance. Moreover, we find that (i) the size-performance relation is highly...

Two new methodologies are introduced to improve inference in the evaluation of mutual fund performance against benchmarks. First, the benchmark models are estimated using panel methods with both fund and time effects. Second, the non-normality of individual mutual fund returns is accounted for...