IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijfss/v12y2024i2p38-d1382769.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Investigating ESG Funds in China: Management Fees and Investment Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Michael C. S. Wong

    (Department of Economics and Finance, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

  • Wei Li

    (Department of Economics and Finance, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

Abstract

This study investigates the association among management fees, ESG scores, and investment performance of ESG funds in China. It explores the significance of comprehending the cost–benefit analysis and long-term yields associated with sustainable investing. The investigation specifically concentrates on China’s open-end equity funds and uncovers some noteworthy discoveries. Initially, funds with higher management fees tend to yield greater returns, suggesting a potential validation for these fees. Nevertheless, when taking risk-adjusted metrics into account, these funds do not exhibit superior performance, indicating that the elevated fees may not necessarily result in enhanced performance after factoring in risk. Furthermore, the analysis discloses an adverse influence of ESG factors on fund performance. In general, the findings indicate that ESG funds in China do not impose higher management fees and do not ensure better returns but often produce superior risk-adjusted investment performance if their ESG scores are moderately higher. Exceptionally high ESG scores can end up with the worst risk-adjusted investment performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Michael C. S. Wong & Wei Li, 2024. "Investigating ESG Funds in China: Management Fees and Investment Performance," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-21, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:12:y:2024:i:2:p:38-:d:1382769
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/12/2/38/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/12/2/38/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Johannes Kabderian Dreyer & Mateus Moreira & William T. Smith & Vivek Sharma, 2023. "Do environmental, social and governance practices affect portfolio returns? Evidence from the US stock market from 2002 to 2020," Review of Accounting and Finance, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 22(1), pages 37-61, January.
    2. David A. Latzko, 1999. "Economies Of Scale In Mutual Fund Administration," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 22(3), pages 331-339, September.
    3. Berk, Jonathan B. & van Binsbergen, Jules H., 2015. "Measuring skill in the mutual fund industry," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 118(1), pages 1-20.
    4. Latzko, David A, 1999. "Economies of Scale in Mutual Fund Administration," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 22(3), pages 331-339, Fall.
    5. Dingzu Zhang & Luqi Liu, 2022. "Does ESG Performance Enhance Financial Flexibility? Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-22, September.
    6. Treynor, Jack L & Black, Fischer, 1973. "How to Use Security Analysis to Improve Portfolio Selection," The Journal of Business, University of Chicago Press, vol. 46(1), pages 66-86, January.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Mattia Landoni & Stephen P. Zeldes, 2020. "Should the Government be Paying Investment Fees on $3 Trillion of Tax-Deferred Retirement Assets?," NBER Working Papers 26700, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Gil-Bazo, Javier & Ruiz-Verdú, Pablo, 2006. "Yet another puzzle? the relation between price and performance in the mutual fund industry," DEE - Working Papers. Business Economics. WB wb066519, Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. Departamento de Economía de la Empresa.
    3. Namvar, Ethan & Phillips, Blake & Pukthuanthong, Kuntara & Raghavendra Rau, P., 2016. "Do hedge funds dynamically manage systematic risk?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-15.
    4. Tang, Ke & Wang, Wenjun & Xu, Rong, 2012. "Size and performance of Chinese mutual funds: The role of economy of scale and liquidity," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 20(2), pages 228-246.
    5. Emmanuel Mamatzakis & Mike G. Tsionas, 2021. "Testing for persistence in US mutual funds’ performance: a Bayesian dynamic panel model," Annals of Operations Research, Springer, vol. 299(1), pages 1203-1233, April.
    6. Cho, Seong-Hoon & Kim, Taeyoung & Larson, Eric R. & Armsworth, Paul R., 2017. "Economies of scale in forestland acquisition costs for nature conservation," Forest Policy and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 75(C), pages 73-82.
    7. Abramov, Alexander E. (Абрамов, Александр Е.) & Akshentseva, Ksenya (Акшенцева, Ксения), 2014. "The Development of Collective Investments in Russia [Развитие Коллективных Инвестиций В России]," Published Papers om17, Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration.
    8. Marco Navone & Giacomo Nocera, 2016. "Unbundling the Expense Ratio: Hidden Distribution Costs in European Mutual Fund Markets," European Financial Management, European Financial Management Association, vol. 22(4), pages 640-666, September.
    9. Paulo ALVES, 2015. "The Fees Of Mutual Funds And Real Estate Funds Their Determinants In A Small Market," Journal of Advanced Studies in Finance, ASERS Publishing, vol. 6(1), pages 20-28.
    10. Geranio, Manuela & Zanotti, Giovanna, 2005. "Can mutual funds characteristics explain fees?," Journal of Multinational Financial Management, Elsevier, vol. 15(4-5), pages 354-376, October.
    11. Alves, Paulo, 2016. "The Expenses of Real Estate Funds in a Small Market: Their Determinants," MPRA Paper 83275, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Iannotta, Giuliano & Navone, Marco, 2012. "The cross-section of mutual fund fee dispersion," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 846-856.
    13. Fernando Muñoz, 2020. "How do the size and independence of the board of trustees affect the financial and sustainable performance of socially responsible mutual funds?," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(4), pages 1834-1850, July.
    14. Lang, Gunnar & Köhler, Matthias, 2011. "How does the domiciliation decision affect mutual fund fees?," ZEW Discussion Papers 11-085, ZEW - Leibniz Centre for European Economic Research.
    15. Amel, Dean & Barnes, Colleen & Panetta, Fabio & Salleo, Carmelo, 2004. "Consolidation and efficiency in the financial sector: A review of the international evidence," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(10), pages 2493-2519, October.
    16. Angelidis, Timotheos & Babalos, Vassilios & Fessas, Michalis, 2021. "The economic gain of being small in the mutual fund industry: U.S. and international evidence," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 77(C).
    17. Timothy B. Riley, 2021. "Portfolios of actively managed mutual funds," The Financial Review, Eastern Finance Association, vol. 56(2), pages 205-230, May.
    18. Cashman, George D., 2010. "Pay-performance sensitivity and firm size: Insights from the mutual fund industry," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 400-412, September.
    19. Thomas W. Doellman & Sabuhi H. Sardarli, 2016. "Investment Fees, Net Returns, And Conflict Of Interest In 401(K) Plans," Journal of Financial Research, Southern Finance Association;Southwestern Finance Association, vol. 39(1), pages 5-33, March.
    20. Shafiqur Rahman & Cheng-Few Lee & Yaqing Xiao, 2017. "The investment performance, attributes, and investment behavior of ethical equity mutual funds in the US: an empirical investigation," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 49(1), pages 91-116, July.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijfss:v:12:y:2024:i:2:p:38-:d:1382769. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.