Don't Take Their Word for It: The Misclassification of Bond Mutual Funds

Huaizhi Chen, Lauren Cohen and Umit G. Gurun

Journal of Finance, 2021, vol. 76, issue 4, 1699-1730

Abstract: We provide evidence that bond fund managers misclassify their holdings, and that these misclassifications have a real and significant impact on investor capital flows. The problem is widespread, resulting in up to 31.4% of funds being misclassified with safer profiles, compared to their true, publicly reported holdings. “Misclassified funds”—those that hold risky bonds but claim to hold safer bonds—appear to on‐average outperform lower risk funds in their peer groups. Within category groups, misclassified funds receive more Morningstar stars and higher investor flows. However, when we correctly classify them based on actual risk, these funds are mediocre performers.

Date: 2021
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https://doi.org/10.1111/jofi.13023

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:jfinan:v:76:y:2021:i:4:p:1699-1730

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