Abstract

This paper studies the performance of Canadian acquiring mutual funds in the post-acquisition period by using 339 acquisitions during the period of 2008-2015. Contrary to the facts reported in studies in the U.S., we find that, for within-family mergers, the performance and the size of acquiring funds increase after the merger. Overall, our results suggest that the within-family merger of Canadian mutual funds is a win-win scenario for participating funds, as acquiring and target funds’ performance increases after the merger. Our results are consistent with a model where board of directors of merging funds are able to select value-enhancing acquisition opportunities, as they hold, due to the management structure of Canadian mutual funds, superior information about within-family target funds.

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