Managerial Rents vs. Shareholder Value in Delegated Portfolio Management: The Case of Closed-End Funds
63 Pages Posted: 26 Oct 2016 Last revised: 11 Jan 2018
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Managerial Rents vs. Shareholder Value in Delegated Portfolio Management: The Case of Closed-End Funds
Date Written: July 3, 2016
Abstract
We examine the dynamics of assets under management (AUM) and management fees at the portfolio manager level in the closed-end fund industry. We find that managers capitalize on good past performance and favorable investor perception about future performance, as reflected in fund premiums, through AUM expansions and fee increases. However, the penalties for poor performance or unfavorable investor perception are either insignificant, or substantially mitigated by manager tenure. Long tenure is generally associated with poor performance and high discounts. Our findings suggest substantial managerial power in capturing CEF rents. We also document significant diseconomies of scale at the manager level.
Keywords: G23, G34
JEL Classification: Closed-end fund, Closed-end fund discount, Managerial rent
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation