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On the Economic Consequences of Index-Linked Investing

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  • Jeffrey Wurgler

Abstract

Trillions of dollars are invested through index funds, exchange-traded funds, and other index derivatives. The benefits of index-linked investing are well-known, but the possible broader economic consequences are unstudied. I review research which suggests that index-linked investing is distorting stock prices and risk-return tradeoffs, which in turn may be distorting corporate investment and financing decisions, investor portfolio allocation decisions, fund manager skill assessments, and other choices and measures. These effects may intensify as index-linked investing continues to grow in popularity.

Suggested Citation

  • Jeffrey Wurgler, 2010. "On the Economic Consequences of Index-Linked Investing," NBER Working Papers 16376, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:16376
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    Cited by:

    1. Tomas Williams, 2018. "Capital Inflows, Sovereign Debt and Bank Lending: Micro-Evidence from an Emerging Market," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 31(12), pages 4958-4994.
    2. Takanobu Mizuta & Sadayuki Horie, 2019. "Mechanism by which active funds make market efficient investigated with agent-based model," Evolutionary and Institutional Economics Review, Springer, vol. 16(1), pages 43-63, June.
    3. Vladyslav Sushko & Grant Turner, 2018. "The implications of passive investing for securities markets," BIS Quarterly Review, Bank for International Settlements, March.
    4. Luca J. Liebi, 2020. "The effect of ETFs on financial markets: a literature review," Financial Markets and Portfolio Management, Springer;Swiss Society for Financial Market Research, vol. 34(2), pages 165-178, June.
    5. Lawrence Glosten & Suresh Nallareddy & Yuan Zou, 2021. "ETF Activity and Informational Efficiency of Underlying Securities," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 67(1), pages 22-47, January.
    6. Baghdadi, Ghasan A. & Bhatti, Ishaq M. & Nguyen, Lily H.G. & Podolski, Edward J., 2018. "Skill or effort? Institutional ownership and managerial efficiency," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 91(C), pages 19-33.
    7. Adrian, Tobias & Breuer, Peter & Ashcraft, Adam & Cetorelli, Nicola, 2018. "A Review of Shadow Banking," CEPR Discussion Papers 13363, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    8. Ahmed S. Baig & Benjamin M. Blau & R. Jared DeLisle, 2022. "Does mutual fund ownership reduce stock price clustering? Evidence from active and index funds," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 58(2), pages 615-647, February.
    9. Staer, Arsenio & Sottile, Pedro, 2018. "Equivalent volume and comovement," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 143-157.
    10. Yin, Chao & Ward, Charles & Tsolacos, Sotiris, 2018. "Motivated monitoring: The importance of the institutional investment horizon," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 197-212.
    11. Baig, Ahmed & DeLisle, R. Jared & Zaynutdinova, Gulnara R., 2022. "Index mutual fund ownership and financial reporting quality," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    12. Ben-David, Itzhak & Franzoni, Francesco & Moussawi, Rabih, 2011. "ETFs, Arbitrage, and Contagion," Working Paper Series 2011-20, Ohio State University, Charles A. Dice Center for Research in Financial Economics.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G12 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Asset Pricing; Trading Volume; Bond Interest Rates
    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General

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