Do Investors Reach for Yield? Evidence from Corporate Bond Mutual Fund Flows

Abstract

This paper investigates the reaching-for-yield behavior of corporate bond mutual fund investors by analyzing how fund flows respond to changes in interest rates. We find that investment-grade (IG) bond funds experience increased inflows following lower interest rates, while high-yield (HY) bond funds show no significant response. Bond fund investors tend to seek higher yields during periods of lower interest rates by assuming greater interest rate risk through the purchase of longer-maturity IG funds, rather than

by taking on additional credit risk. Our findings are robust to potential endogeneity concerns and alternative explanations—including investors’ flight-to-safety behavior, liquidity considerations, and fund managers’ skill—indicating that fund flows are primarily driven by investors’ reaching-for-yield behavior in response to expansionary monetary policy. Overall, this study advances the understanding of monetary policy transmission and its implications for financial stability in the corporate bond market.

Keywords: bond fund investor behavior, corporate bond mutual fund flows, investment-grade bond funds, high-yield bond funds, interest rate risk, credit risk, monetary policy, financial stability, interest rate changes