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Scale and Skill in Active Management

Author

Listed:
  • Lubos Pastor
  • Robert F. Stambaugh
  • Lucian A. Taylor
Abstract
We empirically analyze the nature of returns to scale in active mutual fund management. We find strong evidence of decreasing returns at the industry level: As the size of the active mutual fund industry increases, a fund's ability to outperform passive benchmarks declines. At the fund level, all methods considered indicate decreasing returns, but estimates that avoid econometric biases are insignificant. We also find that the active management industry has become more skilled over time. This upward trend in skill coincides with industry growth, which precludes the skill improvement from boosting fund performance. Finally, we find that performance deteriorates over a typical fund's lifetime. This result can also be explained by industry-level decreasing returns to scale.

Suggested Citation

  • Lubos Pastor & Robert F. Stambaugh & Lucian A. Taylor, 2014. "Scale and Skill in Active Management," NBER Working Papers 19891, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:19891
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • G10 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - General (includes Measurement and Data)
    • G23 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Non-bank Financial Institutions; Financial Instruments; Institutional Investors
    • J24 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Human Capital; Skills; Occupational Choice; Labor Productivity

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