Performance of Alternative Mutual Funds: The Average Investor's Hedge Fund

45 Pages Posted: 16 Jun 2014 Last revised: 17 Dec 2015

See all articles by Srinidhi Kanuri

Srinidhi Kanuri

University of Southern Mississippi; University of Southern Mississippi

Robert W. McLeod

University of Alabama

Date Written: June 3, 2014

Abstract

Alternative Mutual Funds (AMFs) follow strategies similar to those of hedge funds and seek returns uncorrelated with the market. We analyze the performance of AMFs for the period January, 1998 through December, 2011 using the Carhart four-factor model and the Fung-Hsieh seven-factor model. Our results indicate that most AMFs have not been able to create any value for their investors over the period of our study. Furthermore, the performance of these funds was even worse during the recent financial crisis. However, on a pre-expense basis, some of these funds are able to follow the market (with alphas insignificantly different than zero). In addition we show that the managers of these funds do not have success in market-timing or selectivity and none of the fund categories display any performance persistence.

JEL Classification: G11, G14

Suggested Citation

Kanuri, Srinidhi and Kanuri, Srinidhi and McLeod, Robert W., Performance of Alternative Mutual Funds: The Average Investor's Hedge Fund (June 3, 2014). Financial Services Review, Vol. 23 No. 2, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2445279 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2445279

Srinidhi Kanuri (Contact Author)

University of Southern Mississippi ( email )

Joseph Greene Hall (JGH), 3114,
118 college Drive, #5076
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
United States

University of Southern Mississippi ( email )

Hattiesburg, MS 39406
United States

Robert W. McLeod

University of Alabama ( email )

P.O. Box 870244
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
United States
205-348-8993 (Phone)
205-348-0590 (Fax)

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