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Crowding of International Mutual Funds

Author

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  • Tanja Artiga Gonzalez
  • Teodor Dyakov
  • Justus Inhoffen
  • Evert Wipplinger

Abstract

We study the relationship between crowding and performance in the active mutual fund industry. We construct a fund-specific measure of crowding using the equity holdings overlap of 17,364 global funds. Funds in the top decile of crowding underperform passive benchmark funds by 1.4% per year. The impact of crowding on performance cannot be attributed to diseconomies of scale. We explore several mechanisms: a preference for liquid stocks, externalities of peer fund flows, and a coordination problem. We find strongest support for a preference for liquid stocks. Our findings reveal that the tendency of managers to follow correlated strategies is a major concern for fund investors.

Suggested Citation

  • Tanja Artiga Gonzalez & Teodor Dyakov & Justus Inhoffen & Evert Wipplinger, 2021. "Crowding of International Mutual Funds," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 1937, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwwpp:dp1937
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mutual funds; crowding; diseconomies of scale;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G15 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - International Financial Markets
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors

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