PORTFOLIO PREFERENCES ACROSS MARKETS: EVIDENCE FROM MUTUAL FUND OWNERSHIP

This paper is about evaluating and comparing the portfolio preferences of domestic and foreign mutual funds in developed and emerging markets over the period 1998–2007. We find that foreign and domestic mutual funds have some different preferences toward firm characteristics and firms’ information environments, and economic development affects the preferences for both types of funds. A country’s characteristics and institutions also influence mutual fund investment decisions when fund managers form their portfolio holdings. Results further show that foreign and domestic mutual funds play a monitoring role in their portfolio firms, but foreign mutual funds cannot monitor firms effectively in emerging markets.