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What Drives Market Share in the Mutual Fund Industry?

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  • Ajay Khorana
  • Henri Servaes

Abstract

This article examines competition and investor behavior in the mutual fund industry for the universe of US mutual funds during 1976--2009. Over this period, industry assets increased by a factor of 200, the number of active fund families quadrupled, and the average market share of a family declined by four-fifths. We find that price competition and product differentiation are both effective strategies in obtaining market share. Families that pass along economies of scale to investors and those that charge lower fees than the competition gain market share, but only if these fees are above average to begin with. Loads and 12b-1 fees, however, have a positive effect on market share, consistent with the use of these types of fees for marketing and distribution. Families that perform better, offer a wider range of products, and start more funds relative to the competition (a measure of innovation) also have a higher market share. Innovation is rewarded more if the new fund is more differentiated from existing offerings. Overall, our evidence suggests that mutual fund families compete effectively along both price and non-price dimensions. Copyright 2011, Oxford University Press.

Suggested Citation

  • Ajay Khorana & Henri Servaes, 2011. "What Drives Market Share in the Mutual Fund Industry?," Review of Finance, European Finance Association, vol. 16(1), pages 81-113.
    • Handle: RePEc:oup:revfin:v:16:y:2011:i:1:p:81-113
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1093/rof/rfr027
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    Cited by:

    1. Kharma, Céline & Eugster, Nicolas, 2021. "Is competition beneficial? The case of exchange traded funds," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    2. Anastasia Petraki & Anna Zalewska, 2013. "With whom and in what is it better to save? Personal pensions in the UK," The Centre for Market and Public Organisation 13/304, The Centre for Market and Public Organisation, University of Bristol, UK.
    3. Adriana Gabriela Breaban & Juan Carlos Matallín-Sáez & Iván Barreda-Tarrazona & Mª Rosario Balaguer-Franch, 2012. "The demand for structured products: an experimental approach," Working Papers 2012/15, Economics Department, Universitat Jaume I, Castellón (Spain).
    4. Carneiro, Livia Mendes & Eid Junior, William & Yoshinaga, Claudia Emiko, 2022. "The implications of passive investments for active fund management: International evidence," Global Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 53(C).
    5. Adams, John C. & Mansi, Sattar A. & Nishikawa, Takeshi, 2012. "Are mutual fund fees excessive?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 36(8), pages 2245-2259.
    6. Deaves, Richard, 2004. "Data-conditioning biases, performance, persistence and flows: The case of Canadian equity funds," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 673-694, March.
    7. Matthew Spiegel & Harry Mamaysky, 2001. "A Theory of Mutual Funds: Optimal Fund Objectives and Industry Organization," Yale School of Management Working Papers amz2507, Yale School of Management.
    8. Giorgio Albareto & Andrea Cardillo & Andrea Hamaui & Giuseppe Marinelli, 2020. "Mutual funds' performance: the role of distribution networks and bank affiliation," Temi di discussione (Economic working papers) 1272, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    9. Feldman, David & Saxena, Konark & Xu, Jingrui, 2020. "Is the active fund management industry concentrated enough?," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 136(1), pages 23-43.
    10. Massa, Massimo, 2003. "How do family strategies affect fund performance? When performance-maximization is not the only game in town," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(2), pages 249-304, February.
    11. Sorhage, Christoph, 2014. "Outsourcing of mutual funds' non-core competencies and the impact on operational outcomes: Evidence from funds' shareholder services," CFR Working Papers 14-04, University of Cologne, Centre for Financial Research (CFR).
    12. Chen, Xudong & Yao, Liming & Xu, Zhenye & Xu, Qi, 2018. "Foreign entry and bank competition on financial products in China: A model of bank size," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 43-59.
    13. Paul G. Mahoney, 2004. "Manager-Investor Conflicts in Mutual Funds," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 18(2), pages 161-182, Spring.
    14. Casavecchia, Lorenzo, 2016. "Fund managers' herding and the sensitivity of fund flows to past performance," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 205-221.
    15. Yaping Xiao & Haishu Qiao & Ting Xie, 2019. "Open-End Funds for Sustainable Economic Growth in China: The Relationship between Load Fees, Performance, and Flows," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(22), pages 1-27, November.

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