Devil in FIPA: the motivations and consequences of frequent inter-industry portfolio adjustments in the Chinese mutual fund market

Based on the equity asset allocation of Chinese open-end active funds, we examined the potential motivations and economic consequences of frequent inter-industry portfolio adjustments (FIPA) by funds. The research findings indicate that the fund tournament effect compels managers to engage in FIPA. Funds with higher managerial ownership exhibit lower levels of FIPA, suggesting that managers themselves do not favour FIPA. Instead, evidence suggests that fund managers cater to investors’ preferences for FIPA, but there exists an asymmetric effect between top-performing and underperforming funds. Specifically, top-performing funds attract more capital inflows after engaging in FIPA, while underperforming funds tend to engage in more aggressive FIPA, leading to net outflows of funds. Furthermore, the results exclude the motive of funds engaging in FIPA for risk hedging purposes. Finally, we explored the impact of FIPA on the stock market, revealing that fund FIPA delays the incorporation of negative company-specific information into stock prices, ultimately reducing stock price information efficiency.