Using granular security-level data from bond funds domiciled in the US and the euro area, we identify a market-based risk-taking channel of monetary policy transmission via the credit-risk and the maturity structure of bond funds' portfolios. We measure credit risk at the fund level as the...

This paper examines the determinants of investor flows into U.S. corporate bond mutual funds, with a focus on monetary policy and fund-specific characteristics during the COVID-19 crisis. These funds, as non-bank financial intermediaries, are vulnerable to sudden investor redemptions due to...

Using supervisory data of alternative investment funds investing in bonds, I exploit the COVID-19 crisis to examine the effectiveness of redemption restrictions from a financial stability perspective. First, I find that redemption restrictions reduced outflows during the March 2020 market...

Using supervisory data of alternative investment funds investing in bonds, I exploit the COVID-19 crisis to examine the effectiveness of redemption restrictions. First, I find that redemption restrictions reduced outflows during the March 2020 market turmoil but did not result in higher outflows...

This paper investigates whether bond fund managers with credit rating experience outperform their peers. We document that bond fund managers who previously worked in credit rat- ing agencies on average create higher risk-adjusted returns than their peers by 11-16 bps per month, with better...

This paper employs data on corporate bond mutual fund flows to investigate bond investments under low interest rates. In response to the Fed’s lower interest rate policy, we find that investment-grade bond funds receive inflows, while high-yield bond funds are not responsive. This result can...

We compare fund flows and asset valuations of bond mutual funds whose managers concurrently manage portfolios with performance-based fees and those whose managers do not. We find that bond mutual funds whose managers concurrently manage portfolios with performance-based fees receive less fund...

Using a comprehensive database of corporate news, we find that bond funds trade against the direction of news sentiment. The trading against news phenomenon is concentrated in funds selling on positive news and in the post-financial crisis period when dealer liquidity provision is constrained....

"In this examination of labor unions and state employee pensions, political scientist Carolyn Abott examines the increasing tendency of state governments to act with fiscal abandon as they create policy, despite the relatively constrained nature of their fiscal resources. She finds that...

A low-interest rate environment induces higher demand for income-generating assets, such as high-dividend stocks and high-coupon bonds. In this paper, we explore the impact of this “reaching-for-income” phenomenon on fund flows of corporate bond mutual funds. We find that high...

Using a novel return-based method to detect allocations of corporate bond offerings, which are underpriced on average, we find that mutual funds most active in the primary market generate significant alpha and outperform those that are less active. Our evidence suggests that underwriters direct...

We document significant outperformance by government bond funds on important macro announcement days such as FOMC and GDP. The macro-day outperformance is persistent, larger during times of high macro disagreement and surprise, and stronger for active funds with larger idiosyncratic volatility....

We introduce a novel measure, valuation accuracy score (VAS), to assess the valuation skills of investment-grade corporate bond mutual funds. VAS recognizes funds holding a higher (lower) fraction of underpriced (overpriced) corporate bonds as ex-ante having better valuation skills. VAS is...

This paper assesses liquidity risk for the United States (U.S.) bond mutual funds industry and performs a range of analyses to identify which fund categories are more vulnerable to distress than others, and how sales from funds can impact financial stability. We develop a new measure to identify...

This paper presents a novel channel of monetary policy transmission through open- end bond mutual funds and ETFs (“bond funds”). First, I document large aggregate inflows to (outflows from) bond funds in response to monetary easing (tightening). Us- ing the cross section of bond funds, I...

Increasingly, consultants for fund management firms care about the riskiness of fund managers’ investment strategies. Fund managers themselves must care about the riskiness of their investment strategies vis-a-vis the client’s specified benchmark

This paper documents a high and increasing capital concentration in the bond fund industry over the past three decades. Large funds deliver better performance and receive larger inflows than small funds, which explains the concentration of bond funds. However, large funds take more risks by...

Based on their monthly holdings of corporate bonds, we provide the first empirical analysis of the trades by corporate bond mutual funds around earnings announcements. Funds specializing in high-yield (HY) bonds exhibit the ability to predict earnings surprises and adjust holdings accordingly,...

This paper examines a sample of corporate bond mutual funds to explore the impact of size on performance of mutual funds. Results show that on average, fund performance decreases by 29.08 basis points per year when the fund size increases by one standard deviation. The negative and significant...

Using a novel return-based method to detect allocations of corporate bond offerings, which are underpriced on average, we find that mutual funds most active in the primary market generate significant alpha and outperform those that are less active. Our evidence suggests that underwriters direct...

Do corporate bond funds have a real impact on firm policies? In this paper, we examine whether fund herding alters the overall information environment of a firm’s credit risk, and thus affects the firm’s decision to issue bonds. Using the firm-level measure of herding by U.S. bond mutual...

We introduce a new measure to assess the valuation skills of investment-grade corporate bond funds. Our measure recognizes funds that ex-ante hold a higher fraction of undervalued bonds as having better valuation skills. The measure predicts future fund performance, is stable over time, and is...