Currency carry trade returns are on average large and non-normally distributed. While the literature has found different explanations for the existence of carry trade returns, the higher order moments of their return distribution still pose a puzzle. We propose a new model to explain these...

Volatility is an important component of asset pricing; an increase in volatility on markets can trigger changes in the risk distribution of financial assets. In conventional financial theory, investors are considered to be rational and any changes in relevant risk are assumed to be a result of...

We find that global time series carry strategies (across bonds, commodities, currencies, equities and metals) can be explained by a set of lagged macroeconomic variables. The payoffs to carry strategies disappear once futures returns are adjusted for their predictability based on these...

We propose a new measure of investor sentiment based on predictions of firms' near-term prospects, disclosed in online platforms by their employees. By aggregating this forward-looking information, we construct an Employee Sentiment Index (ESI) and find that it is a strong predictor of stock...

We examine the effects of limited investor attention on stock returns by using Google search volume index to measure investor attention. We also investigate whether national culture and market development have any role in this relationship. We find that the impact of investor attention on stock...

We use unique data fromfinancial advisers' professional exam scores and combine it with other variables to create an index of financial sophistication. Using this index to explain long-term stock return expectations, we find that more sophisticated financial advisers tend to have lower return...

This paper examines the use of private information by mutual funds with unconditional and conditional performance models. Using daily data for 35 countries over the 1990-2015 period, we find evidence that the use of conditioning information provides a more accurate estimation of fund...

In this paper we show that simple buy-and-hold strategies over-perform market-timing strategies effectively used by Italian investors in equity mutual funds. We estimate returns from market-timing strategies using aggregate data on net flows for a large sample of equity mutual funds, available...

Momentum is one of the largest and most pervasive market anomalies. However, despite a high mean and Sharpe ratio, momentum suffers from large negative skewness that comes from momentum crash periods. These crashes occur in times of both market stress and market rebound and thus variables that...

To explore how portfolio allocations among equities, fixed income securities, and cash are impacted by investors' risk and return expectations, this paper explores portfolio reallocations among equity, bond, and money market mutual funds. As predicted by the literature on optimal portfolio...