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Actively managed mutual funds holding passive investments: What do ETF positions tell us about mutual fund ability?

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  • Sherrill, D. Eli
  • Shirley, Sara E.
  • Stark, Jeffrey R.

Abstract

We provide the first in-depth examination of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) within actively managed mutual fund (AMMF) portfolios to better understand why AMMFs make substantial investments in passive ETFs. We examine the association between holding ETF positions and AMMF performance, as well as indirect measures of performance, including market timing, flow management, and cash holdings. We find that over one-third of AMMFs take an ETF position between 2004 and 2015. Our results indicate that AMMFs allocating large portions of their portfolio to ETFs perform worse, by between 0.41% and 1.63% annually using various performance measures. These AMMFs also exhibit worse market timing and hold more cash. In contrast, AMMFs that hold ETFs in small amounts have similar characteristics to non-user AMMFs. Therefore, the act of holding an ETF does not signal inferior ability, however, taking large ETF positions does.

Suggested Citation

  • Sherrill, D. Eli & Shirley, Sara E. & Stark, Jeffrey R., 2017. "Actively managed mutual funds holding passive investments: What do ETF positions tell us about mutual fund ability?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 48-64.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:76:y:2017:i:c:p:48-64
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2016.11.025
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    Cited by:

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    2. Rakowski, David & Shirley, Sara E. & Stark, Jeffrey R., 2017. "Tail-risk hedging, dividend chasing, and investment constraints: The use of exchange-traded notes by mutual funds," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 91-107.
    3. Nathaniel Light & Ivan Stetsyuk, 2022. "Puzzle solved? A comprehensive analysis of hedge fund-like mutual funds according to the value-added paradigm," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(3), pages 256-275, May.
    4. Yang, Tingting & Huang, Xiaoxia, 2022. "Active or passive portfolio: A tracking error analysis under uncertainty theory," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 309-326.
    5. Lee, Chien-Chiang & Chen, Mei-Ping, 2020. "Happiness sentiments and the prediction of cross-border country exchange-traded fund returns," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    6. Sherrill, D. Eli & Shirley, Sara E. & Stark, Jeffrey R., 2020. "ETF use among actively managed mutual fund portfolios," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 51(C).
    7. Sherrill, D. Eli & Stark, Jeffrey R., 2018. "ETF liquidation determinants," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 48(C), pages 357-373.
    8. Lukas Benz & Martin Rohleder & Janik Syryca & Marco Wilkens, 2019. "Shedding light on the exposure of mutual funds: Which investments drive mutual fund characteristics?," Journal of Asset Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 20(7), pages 534-551, December.
    9. Jin, Liang & Taffler, Richard & Eshraghi, Arman & Tosun, Onur Kemal, 2020. "Fund manager conviction and investment performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    10. Joe‐Ming Lee, 2021. "Regime switching dynamics in mutual fund cash holdings, risk, and size threshold effect," International Journal of Finance & Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 26(2), pages 2832-2845, April.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mutual fund; Performance; Exchange-traded fund; Portfolio management;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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