Actively managed equity mutual funds in emerging markets

Abstract

In this study, we analyze the performance of mutual fund managers who operate in emerging markets. Emerging stock markets differ from mature markets in significant ways, such as weak prosecution for insider trading, poor corporate governance practices, and a lack of liquidity, which create market inefficiencies that active investment strategies can exploit. We evaluate conditional alphas and multiple measures of liquidity, with a focus on equity funds that invest in emerging markets to achieve abnormal returns. Our analysis shows that smaller funds are significantly impacted by liquidity and that conditioning for public information has a significant effect on the distribution of returns. We find evidence of positive abnormal returns, which suggests that active management in emerging markets can be profitable.