We investigate how information choices impact equity returns and risk. Building on an existing theoretical model of information and investment choice, we estimate a learning index that reflects the expected benefits of learning about an asset. High learning index stocks have lower future returns...

To understand the nature of hedge fund managers' skills, we study the implementation of risk arbitrage by hedge funds using their portfolio holdings and comparing them with those of other institutional arbitrageurs. We find that hedge funds significantly outperform a naive risk arbitrage...

We explore a new investment dimension relating hedge fund exposure to the real estate market. Using fund level data from 1994 to 2012 from a major hedge fund data vendor, we identify 1,321 hedge funds as having significant exposure to direct or securitized real estate. We test for the economic...

One of the main explanations for the idiosyncratic volatility (IVOL) puzzle (i.e., the negative relation between lagged IVOL and returns) is a missing risk factor. We show analytically that if IVOL proxies for a missing risk factor, then the negative relation between IVOL and returns should...

Using a novel dataset of media sentiment concerning macroeconomic developments, we show that sentiment for economic growth, inflation, unemployment, and bond prices predict hedge fund returns. We blend these proxies with social disorder and political sentiment to create a broad macro sentiment...