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Paying for beta: Leverage demand and asset management fees

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  • Hitzemann, Steffen
  • Sokolinski, Stanislav
  • Tai, Mingzhu

Abstract

We examine how investor demand for leverage shapes asset management fees. We show that in the sample of U.S. equity mutual funds: (1) fees increase in fund market beta precisely for beta larger than one; (2) this relation becomes stronger and high-beta funds experience larger inflows when leverage constraints tighten; and (3) low net alphas are especially common among high-beta funds. These results are consistent with a model in which asset managers compete for leverage-constrained investors with heterogeneous risk aversion. The asymmetric relation between betas and fees also extends to the HML and SMB factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Hitzemann, Steffen & Sokolinski, Stanislav & Tai, Mingzhu, 2022. "Paying for beta: Leverage demand and asset management fees," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 145(1), pages 105-128.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jfinec:v:145:y:2022:i:1:p:105-128
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jfineco.2022.04.002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Leverage; Financial intermediation; Mutual funds;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • L11 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Production, Pricing, and Market Structure; Size Distribution of Firms
    • L13 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - Oligopoly and Other Imperfect Markets

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