Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-rcrh6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-28T04:22:59.868Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Choosing Investment Managers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 September 2023

Amit Goyal*
Affiliation:
University of Lausanne Swiss Finance Institute
Sunil Wahal
Affiliation:
Arizona State University W. P. Carey School of Business [email protected]
M. D. Yavuz
Affiliation:
Purdue University Krannert Graduate School of Management [email protected]
*
[email protected] (corresponding author)
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Investment managers connected to plans sponsors are more likely to be hired than not-connected managers. The magnitude of the selection effect is comparable to that of prior performance. Ex post, connections do not result in higher post-hiring returns. Relationships are thus conducive to asset gathering by investment managers but do not generate commensurate pecuniary benefits for plan sponsors.

Type
Research Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Michael G. Foster School of Business, University of Washington

Footnotes

We thank Hendrik Bessembinder, Mara Faccio, Chris Hrdlicka, Alberto Rossi, Denis Sosyura, Michael Woeppel, Scott Yonker (the referee), and seminar participants at George Washington University, IDC Herzliya, Imperial College, Indian School of Business Hyderabad, Purdue University, University of Amsterdam, University of Miami, University of Missouri, European Pensions and Investments 2021 Summit, Inquire Europe 2022 Seminar, Notre Dame Investment Management Conference, Q Group 2021 Spring Seminar, and Western Finance Association 2021 meeting for helpful comments. We are grateful to Lili Ge for research assistance. We thank the Center for Responsible Investing at ASU for financial support. We gratefully acknowledge research funding from INQUIRE Europe. Sunil Wahal is a consultant to Avantis Investors. Avantis did not provide data or funding for this research.

References

Andonov, A.; Bonetti, M.; and Stefanescu, I.. “Choosing Pension Fund Investment Consultants.” SSRN Working Paper No. 4306217 (2022).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Angrist, J. D., and Pischke, J.-S.. Mostly Harmless Econometrics: An Empiricist’s Companion. Princeton: Princeton University Press (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Berk, J. B., and van Binsbergen, J. H.. “Measuring Skill in the Mutual Fund Industry.” Journal of Financial Economics, 118 (2015), 120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bertrand, M.; Djankov, S.; Hanna, R.; and Mullainathan, S.. “Obtaining a Driver’s License in India: Experimental Approach to Studying Corruption.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 122 (2007), 16391676.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blanes-ì-Vidal, J.; Draca, M.; and Fons-Rosen, C.. “Revolving Door Lobbyists.” American Economic Review, 102 (2012), 37313748.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, L.; Frazzini, A.; and Malloy, C. J.. “The Small World of Investing: Board Connections and Mutual Fund Returns.” Journal of Political Economy, 116 (2008), 951979.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, L.; Frazzini, A.; and Malloy, C. J.. “Sell-Side School Ties.” Journal of Finance, 65 (2010), 14091437.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cohen, L., and Malloy, C. J.. “Friends in High Places.” American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, 6 (2014), 6391.Google Scholar
Cohen, L., and Schmidt, B.. “Attracting Flows by Attracting Big Clients.” Journal of Finance, 64 (2009), 21252151.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Engelberg, J.; Gao, P.; and Parsons, C. A.. “Friends with Money.” Journal of Financial Economics, 103 (2012), 169188.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gennaioli, N.; Shleifer, A.; and Vishny, R.. “Money Doctors.” Journal of Finance, 70 (2015), 91114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goyal, A., and Wahal, S.. “The Selection and Termination of Investment Management Firms by Plan Sponsors.” Journal of Finance, 63 (2008), 18051847.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goyal, A.; Wahal, S.; and Yavuz, M. D.. “Picking Partners: Manager Selection in Private Equity.” SSRN Working Paper No. 3910494 (2023).Google Scholar
Guercio, D. D., and Tkac, P. A.. “The Determinants of Flow of Funds of Managed Portfolios: Mutual Funds vs. Pension Funds.” Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 37 (2002), 523557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hart, O.Comments on ‘The Structure and Performance of the Money Management Industry’.” In Brookings Papers: Microeconomics. The Brookings Institution. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution (1992), 380384.Google Scholar
Haselmann, R.; Schoenherr, D.; and Vig, V.. “Rent Seeking in Elite Networks.” Journal of Political Economy, 126 (2018), 16381690.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heckman, J. “Econometrics Counterfactuals and Causal Models.” Keynote Address, International Statistics Association, Seoul, South Korea (2001).Google Scholar
Imbens, G. W., and Wooldridge, J. M.. “Recent Developments in the Econometrics of Program Evaluation.” Journal of Economic Literature, 47 (2009), 586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jaiswal, S. “Connections and Conflicts of Interest: Investment Consultants’ Recommendations.” SSRN Working Paper No. 3106528 (2021).Google Scholar
Jegadeesh, N., and Karceski, J.. “Long-Run Performance Evaluation: Correlation and Heteroscedasticity-Consistent Tests.” Journal of Empirical Finance, 16 (2009), 101111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jenkinson, T.; Jones, H.; and Martinez, J. V.. “Picking Winners? Investment Consultants’ Recommendations of Fund Managers.” Journal of Finance, 71 (2016), 23332369.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Krishna, V., and Morgan, J.. “A Model of Expertise.” Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116 (2001), 747775.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kuhnen, C. M.Business Networks, Corporate Governance, and Contracting in the Mutual Fund Industry.” Journal of Finance, 64 (2009), 21852220.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lakonishok, J.; Shleifer, A.; and Vishny, R.. “The Structure and Performance of the Money Management Industry.” In Brookings Papers: Microeconomics. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution (1992), 339379.Google Scholar
Lerner, J.; Schoar, A.; and Wongsunwai, W.. “Smart Institutions, Foolish Choices: The Limited Partner Performance Puzzle.” Journal of Finance, 62 (2007), 731764.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McDaniel, K. “The Worst Investment Conference Imaginable.” Institutional Investor, Oct. 16 (2017).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McFadden, D.Conditional Logit Analysis of Qualitative Choice Behavior.” In Frontiers in Econometrics, Zarembka, P., ed. Cambridge, MA: Academic Press (1974), 105142.Google Scholar
Ozsoylev, H. N.; Walden, J.; Yavuz, M. D.; and Bildik, R.. “Investor Networks in the Stock Market.” Review of Financial Studies, 27 (2014), 13231366.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pástor, V.; Stambaugh, R. F.; and Taylor, L. A.. “Scale and Skill in Active Management.” Journal of Financial Economics, 116 (2015), 2345.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Perry, G. L.Comments on “The Structure and Performance of the Money Management Industry”. In Brookings Papers: Microeconomics. Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution (1992), 384389.Google Scholar
Pool, V. K.; Sialm, C.; and Stefanescu, I.. “It Pays to Set the Menu: Mutual Fund Investment Options in 401(k) Plans.” Journal of Finance, 71 (2016), 17791812.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pool, V. K.; Sialm, C.; and Stefanescu, I.. “Mutual Fund Revenue Sharing in 401(k) Plans.” NBER Working Paper No. 30721 (2022).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rossi, A. G.; Blake, D.; Timmermann, A.; Tonks, I.; and Wermers, R.. “Network Centrality and Delegated Investment Performance.” Journal of Financial Economics, 128 (2018), 183206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schoenherr, D.Political Connections and Allocative Distortions.” Journal of Finance, 74 (2019), 543586.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sensoy, B.Performance Evaluation and Self-Designed Benchmark Indexes in the Mutual Fund Industry.” Journal of Financial Economics, 92 (2009), 2539.CrossRefGoogle Scholar