Selective and Market Timing Skills: An Empirical Evaluation of Equity Mutual Funds in an Emerging Market

Abstract

This study evaluates the selective and market timing skills of mutual funds managers using monthly net asset values of all 30 actively managed equity-based funds that operated from January 2012 to December 2021 obtained from the Securities and Exchange Commission. Selectivity is the ability to search for and choose undervalued securities to exploit the sub-optimal market weights of securities, while market timing is the ability to forecast the direction of the market and adjust portfolio betas to generate alpha. Two regression models, namely the Treynor-Mazuy (1966) and Henriksson-Merton (1981) were deployed for the study. The findings indicate that mutual funds did not exhibit significant selective skills or market timing abilities. This outcome is consistent with the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH). Consequently, it becomes challenging for investors or fund managers to consistently outperform the market through stock selection or market timing. Based on the study's results, the recommendation for investors is to consider low-cost passive investment strategies, such as index funds or exchange-traded funds (ETFs), over actively managed funds.