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Competition and incentives in the mutual fund industry: Evidence from product development strategies

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Abstract

Despite extensive evidence of how competition in the mutual fund industry affects fees and performance outcomes, less is known about its effect on the incentives of market participants. This paper examines how competition drives product development in mutual fund families. The results show that greater industry competition encourages fund families to focus more on enhancing product quality than altering the fund base. Quality development increases performance across family-affiliated funds, ultimately benefiting investors. Based on these results, I argue that competition helps mitigate conflicts of interest associated with the family-based structure of the industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Ørpetveit, Andreas, 2025. "Competition and incentives in the mutual fund industry: Evidence from product development strategies," Discussion Papers 2025/13, Norwegian School of Economics, Department of Business and Management Science.
    • Handle: RePEc:hhs:nhhfms:2025_013
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    File URL: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3192011
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    1. Irem Demirci & Miguel A Ferreira & Pedro Matos & Clemens Sialm, 2022. "How Global Is Your Mutual Fund? International Diversification from Multinationals," The Review of Financial Studies, Society for Financial Studies, vol. 35(7), pages 3337-3372.
    2. Leonard Kostovetsky, 2017. "Brain Drain: Are Mutual Funds Losing Their Best Minds?," Quarterly Journal of Finance (QJF), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 7(03), pages 1-38, September.
    3. Javier Gil‐Bazo & Pablo Ruiz‐Verdú, 2009. "The Relation between Price and Performance in the Mutual Fund Industry," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 64(5), pages 2153-2183, October.
    4. Narayanan Jayaraman & Ajay Khorana & Edward Nelling, 2002. "An Analysis of the Determinants and Shareholder Wealth Effects of Mutual Fund Mergers," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 57(3), pages 1521-1551, June.
    5. Rodríguez-Castelán, Carlos & López-Calva, Luis Felipe & Barriga-Cabanillas, Oscar, 2023. "Market concentration, trade exposure, and firm productivity in developing countries: Evidence from Mexico," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 165(C).
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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions
    • G20 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - General
    • L10 - Industrial Organization - - Market Structure, Firm Strategy, and Market Performance - - - General

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