Keywords

mutual funds, disposition effect, price pressure, cross-sectional return predictability

Abstract

We link a seemingly biased trading behavior to equilibrium asset prices. U.S. equity mutual fund managers tend to sell both their big winners and big losers. This selling pressure pushes down current prices and leads to higher future returns; aggregating across funds, we find that securities for which investors have large unrealized gains and losses outperform in the subsequent month. Funds with larger turnover, shorter holding period, and higher expense ratios, are significantly more likely to manifest this trading pattern, and unrealized profits from such funds have stronger return predictability. This cross-sectional return predictability is difficult to reconcile with alternative explanations. (JEL classification: G11, G12, G23, G40)

Original Publication Citation

“Overselling Winners and Losers: How Mutual Funds Trading Affects Asset Prices” with Li An. Journal of Financial Markets, June 2020.

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2020

Publisher

Journal of Financial Markets

Language

English

College

Marriott School of Business

Department

Finance

University Standing at Time of Publication

Associate Professor

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