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AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF MUTUAL FUND EXPENSES
Author(s) -
Malhotra D. K.,
McLeod Robert W.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
journal of financial research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.319
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1475-6803
pISSN - 0270-2592
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-6803.1997.tb00243.x
Subject(s) - mutual fund , open end fund , income fund , fund administration , business , target date fund , closed end fund , performance fee , finance , fund of funds , investment fund , feeder fund , expense ratio , management fee , volatility (finance) , institutional investor , market liquidity , corporate governance
Mutual fund investors are subjected to many fees and expenses related to both the management of the fund assets and the sale and distribution of the fund's shares. In recent years these expenses have increased as a percentage of assets. The preoccupation of mutual fund investors with using performance evaluation as a selection criterion is misguided because of the volatility of investment returns. Whether the fund's performance is due to superior management or just good luck is difficult to determine. On the other hand, mutual fund expenses are stable. As such, the mutual fund investor should pursue a policy of choosing funds with low expenses. In this paper we conduct an empirical analysis of these expenses. The results of our analysis of equity funds suggest that expense‐conscious investors should look at the fund size, age, turnover ratio, cash ratio, and existence of a 12b‐1 fee as key determinants of expenses. Our analysis of bond funds suggests that the key factors are the fund's sales charge, weighted average maturity, size, and existence of a 12b‐1 fee.