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The journey is the reward: A study of corporate site visits and mutual fund performance

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  • Zhuang, Zhuang
  • Hong, Xin
  • Yao, Juan

Abstract

Institutional investors often visit corporate sites to conduct first-hand assessments of firms' business operations and management quality. We find that corporate site visits contribute significantly to mutual fund performance in China. Our results indicate that corporate site visiting is an important part of mutual funds' stock selection process. Fund managers utilize these visiting activities as a verification channel to affirm their selection of outperforming stocks. The impact on fund performance is stronger when funds are active, have more concentrated equity holdings or invest in small-cap stocks. Performance enhancement is more profound when mutual funds visit firms with high information disclosure quality, and when fund managers have an alumni connection with corporate executives.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhuang, Zhuang & Hong, Xin & Yao, Juan, 2023. "The journey is the reward: A study of corporate site visits and mutual fund performance," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:pacfin:v:82:y:2023:i:c:s0927538x23002652
    DOI: 10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102194
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    Cited by:

    1. Wang, Danxia, 2024. "Beyond active share: Boosting fund performance through common holdings with same-benchmark mutual funds," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mutual fund; Corporate site visits; Fund performance; Fund-holding;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G2 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services

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