A study from Singapore Management University has examined the portfolio holdings of US hedge funds, comparing their alignment with the economic policies of the incumbent US President. The research measured the share price reaction of US stocks to presidential economic policy announcements to assess portfolio sensitivity.
The study found that hedge fund managers who make political donations aligned with the President also manage portfolios that are more aligned with the President’s economic policies. However, these portfolios, which are most aligned with the President's economic policies, underperform the least aligned portfolios by approximately 4.4 per cent per year.
The study also observed that after events that increase political polarisation, such as mass shootings and political protests in cities where hedge funds are based, already aligned portfolios align even more and subsequently show further underperformance.