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Risk Choice under High-Water Marks

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  • Itamar Drechsler

Abstract

I solve in closed form for the optimal dynamic risk choice of a fund manager who is compensated with a high-water mark contract. The optimal risk choice depends on the ratio of the fund's assets under management to its high-water mark. If the manager's outside option value is low, investors' termination policy is strict, or management fees are high, then negative returns induce the manager into "derisking." Otherwise, he engages in "gambling." Having the option to walk away increases risk taking, though in many cases exercise is never optimal. In particular, leaving to restart at a proportionally smaller fund is always suboptimal.

Suggested Citation

  • Itamar Drechsler, 2014. "Risk Choice under High-Water Marks," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 27(7), pages 2052-2096.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:rfinst:v:27:y:2014:i:7:p:2052-2096.
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rfs/hht081
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    Cited by:

    1. Li, Jiangyuan & Liu, Bo & Yang, Jinqiang & Zou, Zhentao, 2020. "Hedge fund’s dynamic leverage decisions under time-inconsistent preferences," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 284(2), pages 779-791.
    2. Tak-Yuen Wong, 2019. "Dynamic Agency and Endogenous Risk-Taking," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(9), pages 4032-4048, September.
    3. Peter Van Tassel & Erik Vogt, 2016. "Global variance term premia and intermediary risk appetite," Staff Reports 789, Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
    4. Wang, Yuli & Niu, Yingjie, 2020. "Ambiguity aversion for risk choice," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    5. Dai, Na & Nahata, Rajarishi & Brauner, Aaron, 2022. "Does individualism matter for hedge funds? A cross-country examination," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 72(C).
    6. Cui, Zhenyu & Lars Kirkby, J. & Nguyen, Duy, 2019. "A general framework for time-changed Markov processes and applications," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 273(2), pages 785-800.
    7. Zhao, Li & Huang, Wenli & Ba, Shusong, 2018. "Optimal effort under high-water mark contracts," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 599-610.
    8. Huang, Wenli & Liu, Wenqiong & Lu, Lei & Mu, Congming, 2023. "Hedge funds trading strategies and leverage," Journal of Economic Dynamics and Control, Elsevier, vol. 149(C).
    9. Ron Kaniel & Stathis Tompaidis & Ti Zhou, 2019. "Impact of Managerial Commitment on Risk Taking with Dynamic Fund Flows," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 65(7), pages 3174-3195, July.
    10. Andrea L. Eisfeldt & Hanno Lustig & Lei Zhang, 2017. "Complex Asset Markets," NBER Working Papers 23476, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    11. Scheckenbach, Isabel & Wimmer, Maximilian & Dorfleitner, Gregor, 2021. "The higher you fly, the harder you try not to fall: An analysis of the risk taking behavior in social trading," The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 82(C), pages 239-259.
    12. Li, Ying & Holland, A. Steven & Kazemi, Hossein B., 2019. "Duration of poor performance and risk shifting by hedge fund managers," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 35-47.
    13. Bian, Yuxiang & Xiong, Xiong & Yang, Jinqiang, 2022. "Investor protection, hedge fund leverage and valuation," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    14. Zhao, Li & Huang, Wenli & Yang, Chen & Li, Shenghong, 2018. "Hedge fund leverage with stochastic market conditions," International Review of Economics & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 258-273.
    15. Luo, Deqing & Wu, Xiaoping & Xu, Jiawen & Yan, Jingzhou, 2022. "Robust leverage decision under locked wealth and high-water mark contract," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 46(PB).
    16. Yan, Jingzhou & Mu, Congming & Yan, Qianhui & Luo, Deqing, 2023. "Robust leverage choice of hedge funds with rare disasters," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 54(C).
    17. Mu, Congming & Yan, Jingzhou & Liang, Zhian, 2021. "Optimal risk taking under high-water mark contract with jump risk," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 38(C).
    18. Hong, Xin & Pang, Ningjing & Wang, Zhibin, 2022. "Stop-loss early termination clause and hedge fund performance," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 75(C).
    19. Congming Mu & Jingzhou Yan & Jinqiang Yang, 2023. "Robust risk choice under high-water mark contract," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 61(1), pages 295-322, July.

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