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Private company valuations by mutual funds

Author

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  • Agarwal, Vikas
  • Barber, Brad M.
  • Cheng, Si
  • Hameed, Allaudeen
  • Yasuda, Ayako

Abstract

Mutual funds value private security holdings at considerably different prices, update evaluations infrequently, and revise valuations dramatically at follow-on funding events. Predictable private valuation changes at follow-on rounds yield predictable fund returns, but effects are muted for large families, families with large investment in the private security, and families with large percentage stakes in funding rounds. Mutual funds with high exposure to private securities have outflows that are more sensitive to poor fund performance when the venture capital market also performs poorly. The results have welfare implications for retail investors interested in accessing private startups via investments in mutual funds.

Suggested Citation

  • Agarwal, Vikas & Barber, Brad M. & Cheng, Si & Hameed, Allaudeen & Yasuda, Ayako, 2021. "Private company valuations by mutual funds," CFR Working Papers 21-09, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
  • Handle: RePEc:zbw:cfrwps:2109
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    3. Ivanov, Ivan T. & Zimmermann, Tom & Heinrich, Nathan W., 2022. "Limits of disclosure regulation in the municipal bond market," CFR Working Papers 22-05, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    4. Choi, Jaewon & Kronlund, Mathias & Oh, Ji Yeol Jimmy, 2022. "Sitting bucks: Stale pricing in fixed income funds," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(2), pages 296-317.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Mutual funds; Venture capital; Private valuation; Stale prices; Financial fragility;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G24 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Investment Banking; Venture Capital; Brokerage
    • G28 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • M13 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - New Firms; Startups

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