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"This paper studies how portfolios with a global investment scope are actually allocated internationally using a unique micro dataset on U.S. equity mutual funds. While mutual funds have great flexibility to invest globally, they invest in a surprisingly limited number of stocks, around 100. The number of holdings in stocks and countries from a given region declines as the investment scope of funds broadens. This restrictive investment practice has costs. A mean-variance strategy shows unexploited gains from further international diversification. Mutual funds investing globally could achieve better risk-adjusted returns by broadening their asset allocation, including stocks held by more specialized funds within the same mutual fund family (company). This investment pattern is not explained by lack of information or instruments, transaction costs, or a better ability of global funds to minimize negative outcomes. Instead, industry practices related to organizational factors seem to play an important role"--National Bureau of Economic Research web site.

General --- Financial Aspects of Economic Integration --- Portfolio Choice • Investment Decisions --- International Financial Markets

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Over nearly a quarter of a century, ETFs have become one of the most popular passive investment vehicles among retail and professional investors due to their low transaction costs and high liquidity. By the end of 2016, the market share of ETFs topped over 10% of the total market capitalization traded on US exchanges, while representing more than 30% of the overall trading volume. ETFs revolutionized the asset management industry by taking market share from traditional investment vehicles such as mutual funds and index futures. Because ETFs rely on arbitrage activity to synchronize their prices with the prices of the underlying portfolio, trading activity at the ETF level translates to trading of the underlying securities. Researchers found that while ETFs enhance price discovery, they also inject non-fundamental volatility to market prices and affect the correlation structure of returns. Furthermore, ETFs impact the liquidity of the underlying portfolios, especially during events of market stress.

Asset Pricing • Trading Volume • Bond Interest Rates --- Information and Market Efficiency • Event Studies • Insider Trading --- International Financial Markets

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This publication lends itself to careful perusal as well as quick reference. An executive summary enumerates the main points, and callouts in the main text summarize the key messages of individual pages. The report provides an in-depth discussion and further detail, and text boxes, figures, and quotes add enriching perspectives. The two appendixes offer: 1) Basel Committee guidance on the governance of bank subsidiaries, and 2) a selection of recommendations from a past International Finance Corporation (IFC) publication on governance of banks in Southeastern Europe. Finally, the list of references consulted during preparation of this publication may be useful for pursuing a deeper understanding of the issues. It is important to note that this publication reflects the views of bankers, regulators, and others on a deeply complex and complicated issue and is not intended to be a comprehensive or even complete evaluation of the issues explored. For more publications on IFC Sustainability please visit www.ifc.org/sustainabilitypublications.

Corporate Governance --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- Governance --- International Financial Markets --- Multinational & Corporate Governance --- Organizational Management --- Private Sector Development

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This paper highlights selected recent developments in the economies of sub-Saharan Africa. It notes that the outlook for commodity prices has improved, and with it the outlook for economic activity beyond 1994; it also notes, however, the need for higher savings and investment to sustain growth over the medium term. The paper also covers two aspects of structural adjustment: the liberalization of exchange and trade systems, which has been extensive and has resulted in a sharp reduction in exchange market distortions; and the momentum of regional integration in the CFA countries and in the Southern Africa region.

Finance: General --- Foreign Exchange --- International Financial Markets --- Currency --- Foreign exchange --- Finance --- Currency markets --- Exchange rate arrangements --- Exchange rates --- Exchange rate adjustments --- Financial markets --- Foreign exchange market --- South Africa

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The preference among foreign institutional investors for large firms is widely documented. This paper deepens our understanding of international investments by providing evidence that foreign institutional investors with broader investment scopes prefer to invest in firms where they are less prone to information disadvantages than more specialized ones. In other words, there is heterogeneity in how information asymmetries affect investors' portfolio choices. Theoretically, a model with costly information and short-selling constraints shows that the broader the investor's mandate, the smaller the incentives to gather and process costly information. Empirically, an analysis of the mutual fund industry in the United States supports this hypothesis.

Debt Markets --- Emerging Markets --- Finance and Financial Sector Development --- International Financial Markets --- Investment and Investment Climate --- Microfinance --- Mutual Fund --- Mutual Funds --- Portfolio Choice