IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/inm/ormnsc/v69y2023i8p4932-4952.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Do Prime Brokers Matter in the Search for Informed Hedge Fund Managers?

Author

Listed:
  • George O. Aragon

    (W.P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281)

  • Ji-Woong Chung

    (Korea University Business School, Anam-dong, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul 02841, Korea)

  • Byoung Uk Kang

    (School of Accounting and Finance, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong)

Abstract

Using the setting of funds of hedge funds (FoFs), we show that prime brokers (PBs) facilitate investors’ search for informed hedge fund managers. We find that FoFs exhibit PB bias, a disproportionate preference for hedge funds serviced by their connected PBs. This PB bias is stronger when the cost of hedge fund due diligence is higher relative to capital and when the FoF’s management firm generates higher prime brokerage fees. PB bias also predicts FoF performance: the highest PB-bias quartile outperforms the rest by 2.08%–2.45% per annum after adjusting for differences in their risks.

Suggested Citation

  • George O. Aragon & Ji-Woong Chung & Byoung Uk Kang, 2023. "Do Prime Brokers Matter in the Search for Informed Hedge Fund Managers?," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 69(8), pages 4932-4952, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:69:y:2023:i:8:p:4932-4952
    DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2022.4536
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4536
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4536?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kallberg, Jarl G. & Liu, Crocker L. & Trzcinka, Charles, 2000. "The Value Added from Investment Managers: An Examination of Funds of REITs," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 35(3), pages 387-408, September.
    2. Bali, Turan G. & Brown, Stephen J. & Caglayan, Mustafa O., 2019. "Upside potential of hedge funds as a predictor of future performance," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 212-229.
    3. Hong Qian & Zhaodong (Ken) Zhong, 2018. "Do Hedge Funds Possess Private Information about IPO Stocks? Evidence from Post-IPO Holdings," The Review of Asset Pricing Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 8(1), pages 117-152.
    4. Stephen Brown & William Goetzmann & Bing Liang & Christopher Schwarz, 2008. "Mandatory Disclosure and Operational Risk: Evidence from Hedge Fund Registration," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(6), pages 2785-2815, December.
    5. Gavin Cassar & Joseph Gerakos, 2011. "Hedge Funds: Pricing Controls and the Smoothing of Self-reported Returns," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(5), pages 1698-1734.
    6. Sadka, Ronnie, 2010. "Liquidity risk and the cross-section of hedge-fund returns," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 98(1), pages 54-71, October.
    7. Nicolae Gârleanu & Lasse Heje Pedersen, 2018. "Efficiently Inefficient Markets for Assets and Asset Management," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 73(4), pages 1663-1712, August.
    8. Agarwal, Vikas & Aragon, George O. & Shi, Zhen, 2019. "Liquidity Transformation and Financial Fragility: Evidence from Funds of Hedge Funds," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 54(6), pages 2355-2381, December.
    9. William Fung & David A. Hsieh & Narayan Y. Naik & Tarun Ramadorai, 2008. "Hedge Funds: Performance, Risk, and Capital Formation," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 63(4), pages 1777-1803, August.
    10. Martijn Cremers & Antti Petajisto, 2006. "How Active is Your Fund Manager? A New Measure That Predicts Performance," Yale School of Management Working Papers amz2370, Yale School of Management, revised 01 May 2009.
    11. Marcin Kacperczyk & Clemens Sialm & Lu Zheng, 2008. "Unobserved Actions of Mutual Funds," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 21(6), pages 2379-2416, November.
    12. Utpal Bhattacharya & Jung H. Lee & Veronika K. Pool, 2013. "Conflicting Family Values in Mutual Fund Families," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 68(1), pages 173-200, February.
    13. Vikas Agarwal & Stefan Ruenzi & Florian Weigert, 2018. "Unobserved Performance of Hedge Funds," Working Papers on Finance 1825, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance.
    14. Cao, Charles & Chen, Yong & Liang, Bing & Lo, Andrew W., 2013. "Can hedge funds time market liquidity?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(2), pages 493-516.
    15. Cao, Charles & Goldie, Bradley A. & Liang, Bing & Petrasek, Lubomir, 2016. "What Is the Nature of Hedge Fund Manager Skills? Evidence from the Risk-Arbitrage Strategy," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 51(3), pages 929-957, June.
    16. George Comer, 2006. "Hybrid Mutual Funds and Market Timing Performance," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 79(2), pages 771-798, March.
    17. Andriy Bodnaruk & Massimo Massa & Andrei Simonov, 2009. "Investment Banks as Insiders and the Market for Corporate Control," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(12), pages 4989-5026, December.
    18. Teo, Melvyn, 2011. "The liquidity risk of liquid hedge funds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(1), pages 24-44, April.
    19. Agarwal, Vikas & Daniel, Naveen D. & Naik, Narayan Y., 2009. "Role of managerial incentives and discretion in hedge fund performance," CFR Working Papers 04-04, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    20. Aragon, George O., 2007. "Share restrictions and asset pricing: Evidence from the hedge fund industry," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(1), pages 33-58, January.
    21. Nicolas P.B. Bollen & Veronika K. Pool, 2009. "Do Hedge Fund Managers Misreport Returns? Evidence from the Pooled Distribution," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(5), pages 2257-2288, October.
    22. Sheridan Titman & Cristian Tiu, 2011. "Do the Best Hedge Funds Hedge?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 24(1), pages 123-168.
    23. Ivashina, Victoria & Sun, Zheng, 2011. "Institutional stock trading on loan market information," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 100(2), pages 284-303, May.
    24. Ji-Woong Chung & Byoung Uk Kang, 2016. "Prime Broker-Level Comovement in Hedge Fund Returns: Information or Contagion?," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 29(12), pages 3321-3353.
    25. Fama, Eugene F & MacBeth, James D, 1973. "Risk, Return, and Equilibrium: Empirical Tests," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 81(3), pages 607-636, May-June.
    26. José‐Miguel Gaspar & Massimo Massa & Pedro Matos, 2006. "Favoritism in Mutual Fund Families? Evidence on Strategic Cross‐Fund Subsidization," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 61(1), pages 73-104, February.
    27. Louis K. C. Chan & Stephen G. Dimmock & Josef Lakonishok, 2009. "Benchmarking Money Manager Performance: Issues and Evidence," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(11), pages 4553-4599, November.
    28. Aragon, George O. & Strahan, Philip E., 2012. "Hedge funds as liquidity providers: Evidence from the Lehman bankruptcy," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 103(3), pages 570-587.
    29. Blake, Christopher R & Elton, Edwin J & Gruber, Martin J, 1993. "The Performance of Bond Mutual Funds," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 66(3), pages 370-403, July.
    30. George Comer & Norris Larrymore & Javier Rodriguez, 2009. "Controlling for Fixed-Income Exposure in Portfolio Evaluation: Evidence from Hybrid Mutual Funds," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 22(2), pages 481-507, February.
    31. Bollen, Nicolas P. B. & Pool, Veronika K., 2008. "Conditional Return Smoothing in the Hedge Fund Industry," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 43(2), pages 267-298, June.
    32. Louis K. C. Chan & Hsiu-Lang Chen & Josef Lakonishok, 2002. "On Mutual Fund Investment Styles," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 15(5), pages 1407-1437.
    33. Zheng Sun & Ashley Wang & Lu Zheng, 2012. "The Road Less Traveled: Strategy Distinctiveness and Hedge Fund Performance," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(1), pages 96-143.
    34. Aiken, Adam L. & Clifford, Christopher P. & Ellis, Jesse A., 2015. "Hedge funds and discretionary liquidity restrictions," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 116(1), pages 197-218.
    35. Vikas Agarwal & Naveen D. Daniel & Narayan Y. Naik, 2009. "Role of Managerial Incentives and Discretion in Hedge Fund Performance," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(5), pages 2221-2256, October.
    36. Chao Gao & Timothy D. Haight & Chengdong Yin, 2020. "Fund selection, style allocation, and active management abilities: Evidence from funds of hedge funds’ holdings," Financial Management, Financial Management Association International, vol. 49(1), pages 135-159, March.
    37. Massa, Massimo & Rehman, Zahid, 2008. "Information flows within financial conglomerates: Evidence from the banks-mutual funds relation," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 89(2), pages 288-306, August.
    38. Kedia, Simi & Zhou, Xing, 2014. "Informed trading around acquisitions: Evidence from corporate bonds," Journal of Financial Markets, Elsevier, vol. 18(C), pages 182-205.
    39. Huberman, Gur, 2001. "Familiarity Breeds Investment," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 14(3), pages 659-680.
    40. Vikas Agarwal & Yan Lu & Sugata Ray, 2016. "Under One Roof: A Study of Simultaneously Managed Hedge Funds and Funds of Hedge Funds," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 62(3), pages 722-740, March.
    41. Marcin Kacperczyk & Clemens Sialm & Lu Zheng, 2005. "On the Industry Concentration of Actively Managed Equity Mutual Funds," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 60(4), pages 1983-2011, August.
    42. Adam L. Aiken & Christopher P. Clifford & Jesse Ellis, 2013. "Out of the Dark: Hedge Fund Reporting Biases and Commercial Databases," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 26(1), pages 208-243.
    43. Nicole M. Boyson & Christof W. Stahel & René M. Stulz, 2010. "Hedge Fund Contagion and Liquidity Shocks," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 65(5), pages 1789-1816, October.
    44. repec:oup:revfin:v:29:y:2016:i:12:p:3321-3353. is not listed on IDEAS
    45. Aggarwal, Rajesh K. & Jorion, Philippe, 2010. "The performance of emerging hedge funds and managers," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(2), pages 238-256, May.
    46. Veronika K. Pool & Noah Stoffman & Scott E. Yonker, 2012. "No Place Like Home: Familiarity in Mutual Fund Manager Portfolio Choice," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 25(8), pages 2563-2599.
    47. Joshua D. Coval & Tobias J. Moskowitz, 2001. "The Geography of Investment: Informed Trading and Asset Prices," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 109(4), pages 811-841, August.
    48. Clemens Sialm & Zheng Sun & Lu Zheng, 2020. "Home Bias and Local Contagion: Evidence from Funds of Hedge Funds," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 33(10), pages 4771-4810.
    49. Jeremiah Green & John R. M. Hand & Mark T. Soliman, 2011. "Going, Going, Gone? The Apparent Demise of the Accruals Anomaly," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 57(5), pages 797-816, May.
    50. Liang, Bing & Park, Hyuna, 2010. "Predicting Hedge Fund Failure: A Comparison of Risk Measures," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 45(1), pages 199-222, February.
    51. Busse, Jeffrey A, 1999. "Volatility Timing in Mutual Funds: Evidence from Daily Returns," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 12(5), pages 1009-1041.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Andrew W. Lo & Mila Getmansky & Peter A. Lee, 2015. "Hedge Funds: A Dynamic Industry in Transition," Annual Review of Financial Economics, Annual Reviews, vol. 7(1), pages 483-577, December.
    2. Vikas Agarwal & Stefan Ruenzi & Florian Weigert, 2018. "Unobserved Performance of Hedge Funds," Working Papers on Finance 1825, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance.
    3. Lu, Yan & Ray, Sugata & Teo, Melvyn, 2016. "Limited attention, marital events and hedge funds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 122(3), pages 607-624.
    4. Chen, Honghui & Kumar, Alok & Lu, Yan & Singh, Ajai, 2022. "Do Hedge Fund Managers Understand Politics? Political Sensitivity and Investment Skill," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 135(C).
    5. Lingling Zheng & Xuemin (Sterling) Yan, 2021. "Financial Industry Affiliation and Hedge Fund Performance," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(12), pages 7844-7865, December.
    6. Agarwal, Vikas & Green, T. Clifton & Ren, Honglin, 2018. "Alpha or beta in the eye of the beholder: What drives hedge fund flows?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 127(3), pages 417-434.
    7. Eliezer Fich & Viktoriya Lantushenko & Clemens Sialm, 2019. "Institutional Trading Around M&A Announcements," NBER Working Papers 25814, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    8. Agarwal, Vikas & Ruenzi, Stefan & Weigert, Florian, 2017. "Tail risk in hedge funds: A unique view from portfolio holdings," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 125(3), pages 610-636.
    9. Agarwal, Vikas & Aragon, George O. & Shi, Zhen, 2015. "Funding liquidity risk of funds of hedge funds: Evidence from their holdings," CFR Working Papers 15-12, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    10. Guillermo Baquero & Marno Verbeek, 2022. "Hedge Fund Flows and Performance Streaks: How Investors Weigh Information," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(6), pages 4151-4172, June.
    11. Sun, Lin & Teo, Melvyn, 2019. "Public hedge funds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 131(1), pages 44-60.
    12. Bali, Turan G. & Weigert, Florian, 2021. "Hedge funds and the positive idiosyncratic volatility effect," CFR Working Papers 21-01, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    13. Kosowski, Robert & Joenväärä, Juha & Kaupila, Mikko & Tolonen, Pekka, 2019. "Hedge Fund Performance: Are Stylized Facts Sensitive to Which Database One Uses?," CEPR Discussion Papers 13618, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    14. Mathias S. Kruttli & Phillip J. Monin & Sumudu W. Watugala, 2017. "Investor Concentration, Flows, and Cash Holdings: Evidence from Hedge Funds," Working Papers 17-07, Office of Financial Research, US Department of the Treasury.
    15. Turan G. Bali & Florian Weigert, 2018. "Have Hedge Funds Solved the Idiosyncratic Volatility Puzzle?," Working Papers on Finance 1827, University of St. Gallen, School of Finance.
    16. Canepa, Alessandra & de la O. González, María & Skinner, Frank S., 2020. "Hedge fund strategies: A non-parametric analysis," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    17. Agarwal, Vikas & Green, Tracy Clifton & Ren, Honglin, 2017. "Alpha or beta in the eye of the beholder: What drives hedge fund flows?," CFR Working Papers 15-08, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR), revised 2017.
    18. Hany A. Shawky & Ying Wang, 2017. "Can Liquidity Risk Explain Diseconomies of Scale in Hedge Funds?," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(02), pages 1-35, June.
    19. George J. Jiang & Bing Liang & Huacheng Zhang, 2022. "Hedge Fund Manager Skill and Style-Shifting," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 68(3), pages 2284-2307, March.
    20. Hwang, Inchang & Xu, Simon & In, Francis & Kim, Tong Suk, 2017. "Systemic risk and cross-sectional hedge fund returns," Journal of Empirical Finance, Elsevier, vol. 42(C), pages 109-130.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:inm:ormnsc:v:69:y:2023:i:8:p:4932-4952. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Chris Asher (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/inforea.html .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.