This article examines the time-series predictive ability of monthly option-implied idiosyncratic skewness (Skew, hereafter) for stock market excess returns. Skew is a strong negative predictor of returns with particular strong power at long horizons. Specifically, the out-of-sample R^2...

Numerous studies investigate the relationships between fund manager characteristics and fund performance. However, most evaluate fund performance by using traditional factor alphas, such as the Fama–French–Carhart four- and six-factor alphas. In the present study, we analyze data from...

Do sophisticated investors exhibit a stronger “smart money” effect than unsophisticated ones? In this paper, I examine whether fund selection ability of institutional mutual fund investors is better than that of retail mutual fund investors. In line with the studies of Gruber (1996), Zheng...

Extant research has focused on mutual fund managers' ability to time market returns or volatility. In this paper, we offer a new perspective on the traditional timing issue by examining fund managers' ability to time market wide liquidity. Using the CRSP mutual fund database, we find strong...

This paper examines the effects of the Federal Reserve’s Term Auction Facility (TAF) on the London Inter-Bank Offered Rate (LIBOR). The particular question investigated is whether the announcements and operations of the TAF are associated with downward shifts of the LIBOR; such an association...

Can limits to arbitrage explain historical asset price reversals? During the "British Bicycle Mania" of 1896-1898, cycle share prices rose by 200 per cent before falling 76 per cent from their peak value. This paper argues that arbitrage during this episode was limited by the risk of being...

Technological revolutions are often accompanied by substantial stock price reversals, but previous literature has produced competing explanations for why this is the case. This paper brings new evidence to this debate using data from the innovation-driven British Bicycle Mania of 1895-1900, in...

An open question in market microstructure is whether 'informed' traders have an advantage due to access to private, inside, information; or due to a superior ability to process public information. In this paper we attempt to answer this question with data from a sports betting exchange taken...

This study explores the links between culture and risk tolerance, based on surveys conducted in 23 countries. Altogether, more than 4,000 individuals participated in the surveys.Risk tolerance is associated with culture. Risk tolerance is relatively low in countries where uncertainty avoidance...