The study explores the impact of sector and individual fund's size on performance. We demonstrate that alpha is related to demand for arbitrage capital as much as to its supply. Sector size affects alpha via price impact channel: larger scale depresses merger arbitrage spreads, thus lowering...

The merger arbitrage spread has declined by more than 400 bps since 2002. This decline, which is both economically and statistically significant, corresponds to the decline in aggregate returns of merger arbitrage hedge funds, as well as increased inflows into merger arbitrage hedge funds. Part...