A discontinuity, or kink, at zero in the hedge fund net return distribution has been interpreted as evidence of managers manipulating returns to avoid showing small losses. Instead, we propose alternative explanations for this phenomenon. In particular, we show that incentive fees can...

We use the Emmy Award-winning game show Cash Cab to study decision-making in a risky framework. This is a unique environment because, unlike other game shows used to examine risk-aversion, players participate individually or in teams varying in number from two to five. This creates a natural...

This paper examines asset allocation dynamics of hedge funds through conducting optimal change point test on an asset class factor model. Based on the average F-test and the Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC), we find that more dynamic hedge funds exhibit significantly better quality than less...

To understand the nature of hedge fund managers' skills, we study the implementation of risk arbitrage by hedge funds using their portfolio holdings and comparing them with those of other institutional arbitrageurs. We find that hedge funds significantly outperform a naive risk arbitrage...

Risk Management Research Report (RMRR) surveys and screens the flow of academic articles on risk management and presents extended scholarly summaries of today's most important scholarly work in a convenient format on a timely basis. Each issue features approximately 15 of the most important...

We explore a new dimension of fund managers' timing ability by examining whether they can time market liquidity through adjusting their portfolios' market exposure as aggregate liquidity conditions change. Using a large sample of hedge funds, we find strong evidence of liquidity timing. A...

This paper compares downside risk measures that incorporate higher return moments with traditional risk measures such as standard deviation in predicting hedge fund failure. When controlling for styles, performance, fund age, size, lockup, high-water mark, and leverage, we find that funds with...

In this paper, we investigate why the same hedge fund may report different performance measures in different places. We find that auditing plays an important role in explaining this difference. Although majority hedge funds state they have auditors, a significant proportion of hedge funds are...