1. Limits of Arbitrage under the Microscope: Evidence from Detailed Hedge Fund Transaction Data
- Author
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von Beschwitz, Bastian, Daniel, Schmidt, Boards of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Ecole des Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC Paris), HEC Paris Research Paper Series, and Haldemann, Antoine
- Subjects
JEL: G - Financial Economics/G.G1 - General Financial Markets/G.G1.G14 - Information and Market Efficiency • Event Studies • Insider Trading ,Hedge Funds ,JEL: G - Financial Economics/G.G1 - General Financial Markets/G.G1.G11 - Portfolio Choice • Investment Decisions ,JEL: G - Financial Economics/G.G1 - General Financial Markets/G.G1.G15 - International Financial Markets ,[SHS.GESTION]Humanities and Social Sciences/Business administration ,Profitability ,[SHS.GESTION] Humanities and Social Sciences/Business administration ,Limits of Arbitrage ,health care economics and organizations ,Short Selling ,JEL: G - Financial Economics/G.G1 - General Financial Markets/G.G1.G12 - Asset Pricing • Trading Volume • Bond Interest Rates - Abstract
We exploit detailed transaction and position data for a sample of long-short equity hedge funds to document new facts about the trading activity of sophisticated investors. We find that the initiation of both long and short positions is associated with significant abnormal returns, suggesting that the hedge funds in our sample possess investment skill. In contrast, the closing of long and short positions is followed by return continuation, implying that hedge funds close their positions too early and “leave money on the table.” As we demonstrate with a simple model, this behaviour can be explained by hedge funds being (risk) capital constrained and facing position monitoring costs. Consistent with our model, we document that the return continuation following closing orders is more pronounced when these constraints become more binding (e.g., after negative fund returns or increases in volatility).
- Published
- 2017