← Search

Journal of Banking & Finance Vol. 34 No. 11 2010

What drives the performance of convertible-bond funds?

Manuel Ammann1,2; Axel Kind3; Ralf Seiz2,1

1 University of St.Gallen · 2 Swiss Finance Institute · 3 University of Basel

Abstract

This paper examines the performance of US mutual funds that invest primarily in convertible bonds. Multivariate cross-sectional analyses show a significant relation between a fund’s performance and its asset composition: the higher the difference in the percentage of assets invested in convertible bonds compared to the percentage invested in stocks, the higher the performance, on average. We show that this result can be explained by factors associated with investment opportunities in the convertible-bond market and trading strategies related to convertible arbitrage, as typically performed by hedge funds. Overall, convertible-bond fund performance measured by alpha is comparable to a passive investment in stocks, bonds, and convertible bonds. This performance is the result of weak selection skills and successful timing strategies related to convertible arbitrage.

DOI
10.1016/j.jbankfin.2010.04.016
Volume
34
Issue
11
Pages
2600-2613
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib

Cite