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Journal of Financial Economics Vol. 99 No. 3 2011

Hedge funds, managerial skill, and macroeconomic variables☆

Doron Avramov1,2; Robert Kosowski3; Narayan Y. Naik4; Melvyn Teo5

1 University of Maryland, College Park · 2 Hebrew University of Jerusalem · 3 Imperial College London · 4 London Business School · 5 Singapore Management University

open access

Abstract

This paper evaluates hedge fund performance through portfolio strategies that incorporate predictability based on macroeconomic variables. Incorporating predictability substantially improves out-of-sample performance for the entire universe of hedge funds as well as for various investment styles. While we also allow for predictability in fund risk loadings and benchmark returns, the major source of investment profitability is predictability in managerial skills. In particular, long-only strategies that incorporate predictability in managerial skills outperform their Fung and Hsieh (2004) benchmarks by over 17% per year. The economic value of predictability obtains for different rebalancing horizons and alternative benchmark models. It is also robust to adjustments for backfill bias, incubation bias, illiquidity, fund termination, and style composition.

DOI
10.1016/j.jfineco.2010.10.003
Volume
99
Issue
3
Pages
672-692
Language
en
Sources
openalex crossref bibtex:phds-export.bib

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