Stéphanie Lavigne

Does Geography Still Matter? Evidence on the Portfolio Turnover of Large Equity Investors and Varieties of Capitalism

Abstract This article investigates the geography of finance through a study of the behavior of large equity investors who are key actors in capitalism. The main argument is based on their expectations in “finance-driven” capitalism: large equity investors require high returns on invested capital in a shorter time and are said to be impatient. The article focuses on their portfolio turnover in relation to geographic factors and their attachment to a specific model of capitalism. The U.S. “market-based” model is presented as a benchmark, since U.S. investors trade securities most frequently relative to other international equity investors. Our empirical findings on the proximity of investors in various models of capitalism with U.S. “impatient” investors contribute to a growing literature on the economic importance of geography in understanding global finance.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind: When Proximities Matter for Mutual Fund Flows

Abstract We analyze the aggregate investment of 22,900 worldwide mutual funds and question factors that promote accessibility to foreign stock markets for these investors when they allocate their assets outside their domestic market. A gravity model is proposed to test the influence of geographical, institutional and cognitive proximity in explaining asset trading by mutual funds. While mutual funds invest primarily in large stock markets and in countries with similar legal systems and the same language or culture, we find robust evidence of a geographical pattern in the distribution of their assets. Investments are located primarily in countries close to home, attesting that despite the globalization of stock markets and the high mobility of capital, geography is still relevant for understanding transactions of mutual funds. Results depending on which geographical, institutional and cognitive proximity promotes accessibility to foreign markets remain robust when introducing the issue of time horizons of investors.