Determinants of Fund Investment Flows: Asymmetry between Fund Inflows and Fund Outflows

펀드투자 자금흐름의 결정요인: 유입자금과 유출자금은 대칭적인가?

We investigate determinants of fund investment flows using Korean equity investment funds. Unlike previous studies which analyzed net-flows (inflow minus outflow), we analyze fund investment inflows and outflows separately that should properly reflect investors' fund selection and redemption decision. We find similar effects of past return, fund age on net-flows to existing studies based on US market data. The analysis of determinants of inflows shows that inflows are related to past return, fund age and sales fee as net-flows. In contrast, outflows are found to behave quite differently from inflows. Apparently, asymmetry exists between fund investment inflows and outflows at the Korean fund selection market. Specifically, high past returns increase fund investment inflows while increase, rather than decrease, fund outflows. Moreover, 'convexity' is detected both in inflows and outflows: higher past returns accelerate outflows as well as inflows. Effects of sales fee also differ between inflows and outflows. In the 'affiliated' fund sample, sales fee is negatively related to inflows while positively related to outflows. In the 'unaffiliated' fund sample, sales fee is positively related to inflows, but no significant relationship exists with outflows. Empirical findings of this paper imply that the rational investor's fund selection view cannot provide a consistent explanation of the Korean fund selection market. In particular, the positive and convex relationship between past returns and fund outflows is inconsistent with the rational investor view. The fact that investor's fund investment appears to display 'disposition effect', which has been reported by studies of individual investors' stock investment behaviour suggests that the behavioral finance view should be a part of explanation for the Korean fund selection market. In addition, the strikingly different patterns between the 'affiliated' funds and the 'unaffiliated' funds, imply that brokers' incentive structure is another prevailing factor for fund investment flows.

본 논문은 펀드투자의 유입자금흐름과 유출자금흐름을 별도로 구분하여 결정요인을 실증분석하였다. 과거 성과, 펀드연령, 펀드규모, 판매보수 등 주요 요인의 자금흐름에 대한 효과는 유입자금과 유출자금 사이에 큰 차이가 있었다. 과거 성과와의 양(+)의 관계, 펀드연령과의 음(-)의 관계 등 순유입자금을 기반으로 한 기존 연구에서 확립된 실증 결과는 유출자금에 대해서는 반대로 나타났다. 특히 과거 성과의 유출자금과의 관계는 '처분효과(disposition effect)'의 존재를 시사하였다. 한편, '계열 펀드'와 '비계열 펀드'를 구분할 경우 판매보수의 유입자금과 유출자금에 대한 효과가 두 펀드그룹 사이에 상이하여, 판매사 간의 유인체계 차이가 펀드선택시장에서 중요한 요인인 것으로 나타났다. '처분효과'의 존재 등 본 논문에서 미국의 기존 연구와 다른 분석 결과가 얻어진 이유는 표본의 차이에 기인하였을 가능성이 있다.