Exploiting a unique identification strategy based on inaccurate news analytics, we document an effect of news analytics on the market independent of the informational content of the news. We show that news analytics speed up the stock price and trading volume response to articles, but reduce liquidity. Inaccurate news analytics lead to small price distortions that are corrected quickly. The market impact of news analytics is greatest for press releases, as news analytics exhibit a particular skill in “seeing through” the positive spin of press releases. Furthermore, we provide evidence that high-frequency traders rely on the information from news analytics for directional trading on company-specific news. Received: May 17, 2018; Editorial decision: June 14, 2019 by Editor: Thierry Foucault.

By using a unique data set on the organizational structure of fixed-income portfolio managers, that is, mutual funds and insurance companies, we study the effects of organizational hierarchy within a fund management team on bond investing. We document that team hierarchies reduce the portfolio managers’ incentive to collect and share soft information. Funds with multiple hierarchies invest less in bonds of local firms, hold less concentrated portfolios, and herd more with the market. Overall, they deliver lower portfolio performances. We also show that changes in fund hierarchy subsequently find their way into fund behaviors.

The global ETF industry provides more complicated investment vehicles than low-cost index trackers. Instead, we find that the real investments of ETFs may deviate from their benchmarks to leverage informational advantages (which leads to a surprising stock-selection ability) and to help affiliated OEFs through cross-trading. These effects are more prevalent in ETFs domiciled in Europe. Moreover, ETF flows seem to respond to additional risk. These results have important normative implications for consumer protection and financial stability. Received March 18, 2017; Editorial decision October 14, 2018 by Editor Raman Uppal.