Measuring the Timing Ability and Performance of Bond Mutual Funds

50 Pages Posted: 8 Sep 2009 Last revised: 11 May 2023

See all articles by Yong Chen

Yong Chen

Texas A&M University - Department of Finance

Wayne E. Ferson

University of Southern California; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

Helen Peters

Boston College - Department of Finance

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: September 2009

Abstract

This paper evaluates the ability of bond funds to "market time" nine common factors related to bond markets. Timing ability generates nonlinearity in fund returns as a function of common factors, but there are several non-timing-related sources of nonlinearity. Controlling for the non-timing-related nonlinearity is important. Funds' returns are more concave than benchmark returns, and this would appear as poor timing ability in naive models. With controls, the timing coefficients appear neutral to weakly positive. Adjusting for nonlinearity the performance of many bond funds is significantly negative on an after-cost basis, but significantly positive on a before-cost basis.

Suggested Citation

Chen, Yong and Ferson, Wayne E. and Peters, Helen, Measuring the Timing Ability and Performance of Bond Mutual Funds (September 2009). NBER Working Paper No. w15318, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1469113

Yong Chen

Texas A&M University - Department of Finance ( email )

360 Wehner Building
College Station, TX 77843-4218
United States

HOME PAGE: http://mays.tamu.edu/directory/yong-chen

Wayne E. Ferson (Contact Author)

University of Southern California ( email )

2250 Alcazar Street
Los Angeles, CA 90089
United States

HOME PAGE: http://www-rcf.usc.edu/~ferson/

National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States

Helen Peters

Boston College - Department of Finance ( email )

Carroll School of Management
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467-3808
United States

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