This paper analyzes the “return gap” between dollar-weighted returns that account for intermediate investor flows (internal rate of return) and buy-and-hold returns that funds typically report. Our sample constitutes all US-domiciled open-end mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs),...

We propose that investor beliefs frequently “cross” in the sense that an investor may like company A, but dislike company B, while another investor may like company B, but dislike company A. Belief-crossing makes it almost impossible to construct a portfolio that is comprised solely of every...