Publication Type

Working Paper

Version

publishedVersion

Publication Date

2-2005

Abstract

We apply a robust bootstrap to evaluate the performance of a large universe of hedge funds. Our bootstrap estimates indicate that the performance of the top hedge funds cannot be attributed to chance alone. This is true even after adjusting for back fill bias, serial correlation, and structural breaks. Also, we find that hedge fund alpha differences persist over three year horizons. However, an investment strategy designed around this will run into difficulties as the persistence is often confined to small funds that are effectively closed to new inflows. Moreover, Bayesian estimates suggest that standard alphas may be overestimated by 41% for the average top fund.

Keywords

Hedge funds, bootstrap, alpha, persistence

Discipline

Finance and Financial Management | Portfolio and Security Analysis

Research Areas

Finance

First Page

1

Last Page

50

Identifier

10.2139/ssrn.675765

Publisher

SSRN

Copyright Owner and License

Authors

Additional URL

https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.675765

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