Information Sharing within the Networks of Delegated Portfolio Managers: Evidence from Plan Sponsors and Their Subadvisers

The authors study information sharing among delegated portfolio managers through networks connected by investment mandates between plan sponsors and their subadvisers. Specifically, they identify similarity in returns, holdings, and trading between mutual funds operated by subadvisers, and test whether such similarity is stronger when two funds share a mandate network. The authors find evidence consistent with information sharing among these delegated portfolio managers. A mutual fund on average shares more similar returns, holdings, and trading with funds in subadvisory mandate networks than with funds outside the networks. Preliminary evidence suggests that information about both general investment styles and individual firms is transferred within mandate networks.