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Mutual fund shareholder letters: Flows, performance, and managerial behavior

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  • Hillert, Alexander
  • Niessen-Ruenzi, Alexandra
  • Ruenzi, Stefan

Abstract

Fund companies regularly send shareholder letters to their investors. We use textual analysis to investigate whether these letters' writing style influences fund flows and whether it predicts performance and investment styles. Fund investors react to the tone and content of shareholder letters: A less negative tone leads to higher netflows. Thus, fund companies can use shareholder letters as a tactical instrument to influence flows. However, at the same time, a dishonest communication that is not consistent with the fund's actual performance decreases flows. A positive writing style predicts higher idiosyncratic risk as well as more style bets, while there is no consistent predictive power for future performance.

Suggested Citation

  • Hillert, Alexander & Niessen-Ruenzi, Alexandra & Ruenzi, Stefan, 2023. "Mutual fund shareholder letters: Flows, performance, and managerial behavior," SAFE Working Paper Series 380, Leibniz Institute for Financial Research SAFE.
    • Handle: RePEc:zbw:safewp:380
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    JEL classification:

    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • G11 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Portfolio Choice; Investment Decisions

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