Hållbarhet är ett begrepp som har blivit allt mer populärt under senare år och med detta blir efterfrågan på hållbara aktier större. Inom den finansiella världen benämns ofta begreppet hållbarhet i form av ESG vilket står för environmental, social och governance. Områdena representerar kriterier som används för att bedöma olika tillgångars grad av hållbarhet. Eftersom kategorierna inom ESG skiljer sig mellan varandra är det av intresse att analysera dessa enskilt.  Syftet med studien är att analysera E-, S- och G-aktier och dess avkastning i Sverige med hjälp av Fama och Frenchs femfaktormodell för tidsperioden 2010–2019. Portföljer har skapats för respektive område inom ESG för att bedöma deras individuella prestation samtidigt som de jämförs med ett markandsindex. För att analysera avkastning i förhållande till risk har ekonometriska analyser genomförts i form av regressionsmodeller för tidsseriedata samt för pooled tvärsnitts- och tidsseriedata. För att se hur portföljerna har presterat i förhållande till marknaden jämförs de även med indexet OMXS30 med hjälp av framtagna finansiella nyckeltal.  Samtliga av våra regressioner uppvisade positiva men icke-signifikanta intercept. Detta gör att vi inte kan säkerställa ett signifikant samband mellan hållbarhet och avkastning. Portföljerna erhöll sedan en högre Sharpekvot i förhållande till marknadsportföljen. Detta kan ses som en indikation på att investerare med höga hållbarhetspreferenser kan dra nytta av att investera hållbart. Resultatet från Jensens alfa tyder även på att portföljerna överavkastar gentemot marknaden, däremot kan vi inte konstatera huruvida resultaten från Sharpekvoten och Jensens alfa är signifikanta eller ej. / Sustainablitiy is a relativley new term that, under recent years, has grown to become popular. With the acknowladgement of sustainablitity it has also becom sought-after to invest in sustainable assets. In the financial world sustainability often refers to the term ESG which means environmental, social and governance. The categories represent criteria that is used to determine different assets degree of sustainability. Since the categories of ESG differ from each other it is therefore of interest to analyze them individually.  The aim with this study is to analyze E-, S-, and G-stocks and their return in Sweden while using the Fama and French five factor model during the period of 2010-20219. Portfolios are constructed for each category within ESG to evaluate their individual performance, they are also compared to a market index. Econometric tests are produced to analyze the risk and return of the portfolios through time series and pooled cross section and time series regressions. In order to study how the portfolios perform they are compared with the Swedish market index OMXS30 through produced financial measurements.  The results from the regression tests show positive, but insignificant intercepts for all of the models. Therefore, we cannot ensure a significant relation between sustainability and return. Furthermore, the portfolios received a higher Sharpe ratio than the market portfolio OMXS30. This indicates that investors with strong preferences for sustainability may benefit from buying ESG-stocks. The result from Jensen’s alpha also indicate that the portfolios outperform the market. Although, we cannot establish if the results from the Sharpe ratio and Jensen’s alpha are significant or not.

Cette thèse porte sur la prédiction de la détresse financière et son impact sur le rendement des actions. L’objet principal de cette thèse est de : (i) prédire la détresse financière des petites et moyennes entreprises françaises en utilisant plusieurs spécifications économétriques tels que, le modèle Logit, les réseaux de neurones artificiels, la méthode SVM et la régression des moindres carrés partiels, et (ii) d’identifier les facteurs de risque de détresse financière à caractère systématique, explicatifs des rendements des actions, et additionnels au modèle de Fama et French (1993) tels que le momentum, la détresse relative, la liquidité et la Value-at-Risk, sur le marché boursier Français. Cette étude comporte deux parties. La première partie, composée de 2 chapitres, s’interroge sur les principaux indicateurs discriminants entre les petites et moyennes entreprises françaises saines et celles en détresse financière un an et deux ans avant la défaillance. Elle mobilise différentes approches de prédiction et aboutit à des résultats empiriques qui font l’objet d’analyse. La deuxième partie, composée aussi de 2 chapitres, étudie le pouvoir explicatif, du modèle de Fama et French (1993) augmenté de certains facteurs de risque, mais aussi des modèles alternatifs à cette approche dans le contexte français. Les tests portent aussi sur le caractère systématique des facteurs de risque additionnels ou alternatifs, explicatifs des rendements des actions. Les résultats empiriques obtenus font l’objet d’analyse et permettent de proposer des implications managériales aux décideurs. / This thesis focuses on financial distress and its impact on stock returns. The main goal of this dissertation is: (i) to predict the financial distress of French small and medium-sized firms using a number of techniques namely Logit model, Artificial Neural Networks, Support Vector Machine techniques, and Partial Least Squares, and (ii) to identify the systematic risk factors of financial distress that can explain stock returns, in addition to those of Fama and French (1993) such as the momentum, the relative distress, the liquidity, and the Value-at-Risk in the French stock market. This study has been concretized in two parts. The first part, composed of 2 chapters, wonders about the main indicators that can discriminate between distressed and non-distressed French small and medium-sized firms one and two years before default. It mobilizes different prediction techniques and leads to the empirical results that are the subject of the analysis. The second part, composed also of 2 chapters, investigates the explanatory power of Fama and French (1993) model augmented by a number of risk factors, as well as alternative models in the French context. The tests also focus on the systematic nature of the additional or alternative risk factors, explaining the stock returns. The obtained empirical results are analyzed and propose managerial implications to decision makers.

在知識經濟時代下，無形資產的對於公司的重要性愈來愈高。有別於在工業時代下的生產重心，著重在大量的土地，機器設備...等有形的資產，在二十一世紀競爭中致勝的關鍵因素卻是那些無實體存在的知識累積，例如：研究發展的能力、員工的素質、顧客關係的維持…等;然而，會計處理對於無形資產卻是停留在歷史的取得成本，而不是現時的市場價值，更甚，有些無形資產根本無法入帳;因此，資本市場如何看待與反應公司的無形資產就是一項有趣的議題。本研究之研究目的是：依據Fama and French (1993)三因子模型，以橫斷面的分析方式，欲控制了系統風險、規模效果和淨值與市價比效果後，進一步分別探討研究發展活動與專利權對於股票報酬之影響，是否擁有投入愈多的研發活動與專利可以在股票市場獲得愈高的報酬？是否研究發展費用與專利權數對於股票報酬有遞延效果的影響？ 樣本期間從民國七十一年到民國九十三年，包含上市與上櫃公司，總共有21717筆觀察值，在研究發展活動方面，本研究採用了當期研究發展費用與依五年資本化後之研究發展費用二種替代變數，專利權方面，採用專利權數與累積專利權數二種代理變數，其實證結果發現： (1)當期研究發展費用溢酬與股票超額報酬呈現顯著的正向相關，將研究發展費用依五年資本化後，資本化後之研究發展費用溢酬仍與股票超額報酬呈現顯著的正向相關。 (2)專利權數之溢酬與股票超額報酬卻是顯著的負相關，累積專利權數之溢酬與股票超額報酬也是呈現顯著的負向關係，可能的原因是：在本研究樣本裡的大部分的專利權數量是非常集中在少部分的公司。 (3)研究發展溢酬對於超額報酬最多有三年的遞延效果，專利權溢酬對於超額報酬至少有五年遞延的效果。 (4)當期研究發展費用溢酬與資本化後之研究發展費用溢酬對於超額報酬有顯著不同的影響，二者比較下，當期研究發展費用溢酬對於股票報酬的影響程度大於資本化後之研究發展費用溢酬。可能的原因是:Fama and French三因子模型某種程度上代表著流量的概念，因此，當期研究發展費用溢酬的效果較為顯著。 (5)在專利權數之溢酬與累積專利權數之溢酬二者之間，對於超額報酬不具有顯著差異性的影響。可能的原因是:大部分的樣本都沒有專利權，因此，專利權數之溢酬與累積專利權數之溢酬沒有太大的差異。 (6)以研究發展與專利來說，二者對於超額報酬具有顯著不同差異的影響。 / Since the change in the global economy in the last decade, from manufacturing and industry-based to knowledge-based, it has created new interest in intellectual capital and increased the demand for measuring and reporting the effect on business and profitability. Nonetheless, accounting conventions based on historical cost often understate their value. Thus, from a practical point of view, how the stock market responses to the innovative activity is an interesting issue. Here, the major objective of this study is, on the basis of the three-factor model in Fama and French (1993), to investigate the relationship between innovation activities in firms and stock returns. That is, the aim in this study is to examine whether the intellectual capital, in particularly focusing on R&D and patents, has impact on stock returns. Does the market provide the premium for the value of the innovation in firms? Do the stocks with more innovation efforts worth the higher market rate of returns? Do R&D and patents have time lag effect on returns? We find that: (1) The return premiums are significantly greater for high-level of R&D than for low-level R&D. The mimicking returns both for the R&D-expense factor and capitalized-R&D factors are significantly positive related to excess stock returns. (2) Contrary to our intuition and expectation, the mimicking returns both for patent count and cumulated patent count are significantly negative associated with excess stock returns. One possible explanation is that the distribution of patented innovation is known to be extremely skewed, implying that a few patents are very valuable and many are worth almost nothing. (3) R&D-related return premiums have 3-year lag effect on excess stock returns at most. As for patent-related return premiums, it shows 5-year lag at least for excess stock returns. (4) R&D expenses have more impact on stock returns than the R&D capitalization. One possible explanation is that the “flow” concept is more suitable than the “stock” concept in the Fama and French (1993) regression of stock returns. (5) There is no difference between patent count and cumulated patent count in explaining stock returns. It is likely that, for a large proportion of the sample, they do not possess any patents. (6) When it comes to compare R&D to patents, we find that there is statistically significant difference between the two in explaining excess stock returns.

This thesis provides evidence of size and value premiums in returns in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region, through its analysis of financial markets in 12 countries. Following the portfolio construction methodology of Fama and French (1996) we use a sample of 1245 stocks and record that small stocks outperform big stocks (size premium) and value stocks outperform growth stocks (value premium). In addition, we create nine portfolios to test the Fama and French three-factor model and show that the factor-mimicking portfolios that have been documented in the developed markets, SMB (small minus big) and HML (high minus low), also capture most of the cross-section variation in average stock returns in the CEE region. We demonstrate a similar pattern in terms of size return as documented in the U.S. market, but with small differences in the value returns found. Although the Gibbons-Ross-Shanken (GRS) test does not reject the null with 95%, we do not agree that the model completely explains the variation in average returns across the portfolios. The GRS rejects the null at 90% and implies that other factors are omitted from the model. Nevertheless, this thesis contributes to the literature applying asset pricing models to the CEE region, and should provide insights to investors active in the CEE...

Det är sedan länge känt att det finns en positiv korrelation mellan risk och avkastning. Investerare och bolag kan välja mellan flera olika prissättningsmodeller för att förutspå priset på en aktie. Forskare har, med den kända enfaktormodellen CAPM som utgångspunkt, utvecklat en modell som tar hänsyn till mer än bara marknadsfaktorn. Detta resulterade i framtagandet av Fama & French-trefaktormodellen (FF3) som även inkluderar storleksfaktorn SMB samt värdefaktorn HML. Syftet med studien är att utvärdera två prissättningsmodeller, CAPM och FF3, för att kunna bedöma deras prestanda vid värdering av förväntad avkastning. Tidigare forskning, inom området för nämnda modeller, berör ofta internationella marknader samt modellernas prestanda för portföljer. Vår studie utförs på utvalda enskilda svenska aktier inkluderade på Stockholmsbörsens Large Cap för januari år 2011 till december år 2015, genom att replikera tidigare forskning gjord av Bartholdy & Peare (2005). Utvalda bolag analyseras efter regressioner för modellerna för att kunna utvärdera dessa var för sig, samt för att se om FF3 har en högre justerad förklaringsgrad än CAPM för enskilda svenska aktier. Resultatet av studien visar att både CAPM och FF3 är applicerbara för utvalda enskilda svenska aktier. Ställs FF3 i förhållande till CAPM föreligger skillnad i justerad förklaringsgrad, dock är den ytterst marginell. Sammanfattningsvis bidrar studien med kunskapen om att CAPM och FF3 går att applicera på enskilda svenska aktier, men att det inte föreligger någon större skillnad i val av dessa två modeller. / Investors and companies can choose between multiple pricing models to predict the price of shares. With the known one factor model CAPM, researchers have developed a model that consider more than just the market factor. This resulted in the creation of the Fama & French three factor model (FF3), which also includes the size factor SMB and the value factor HML. The purpose of the study is to evaluate two pricing models, CAPM and FF3, to assess their performance when evaluating expected returns. Previous research often deal with international markets and model performance of portfolios. We study selected individual Swedish shares for January 2011 to December 2015 by replicating previous research by Bartholdy & Peare (2005). Selected companies are analysed by regressions for the models to be able to evaluate these separately, and to see if FF3 has a higher degree of explanation than CAPM for individual Swedish shares. The result of the study shows that both CAPM and FF3 are applicable for selected individual Swedish shares. There is a difference in the adjusted degree of explanation between the models but it is marginal. In conclusion, the study contributes with the knowledge that CAPM and FF3 can be applied to individual Swedish shares, but there is no major difference in the choice of these two models.

[pt] Desde sua proposição, na decada de 60, o modelo de apreçamento de ativos de capital e suas expansões, em particular a modelagem proposta por Fama e French entre os anos de 1992 e 2015, causou um entusiasmado debate sobre a interpretação econômica de seus fatores. Foi demonstrado na literatura acadêmica que variaveis que descrevem o conjunto das futuras oportunidades de investimento devem comandar um prêmio de risco e deveriam ser correlacionadas com os fatores de Fama e French. Uma outra questão sempre discutida é a aplicação desse tipo de modelagem à mercados emergentes. Economias mais fracas e menos estruturadas seguiriam a mesma racionalidade de mercados desenvolvidos? As expansões de Fama-French acrescentam ao modelo do CAPM fatores que representam o tamanho, o valor, a lucratividade operacional e a politica de investimento das empresas, em duas versões básicas de modelo. A primeira, proposta em 1993, acrescenta ao excesso de retorno de mercado um fator de tamanho e um fator de valor. É normalmente chamada de modelo de três fatores. A segunda, proposta em 2015, acrescenta a versão de três fatores um fator de lucratividade operacional e um fator de politica de investimentos das empresas. É normalmente chamada de modelo de cinco fatores. Com o uso desses modelos e dos conceitos financeiros envolvidos, esta tese estuda a possibilidade de que as inovações na variância média do mercado, decomposta em dois fatores, um representando a variação média do mercado e outro representando a correlação média do mercado, pudesse aumentar a capacidade explicativa do modelo de três fatores no que se refere aos excessos de retornos de portfólios de ações. Ela também estuda a capacidade do modelo de cinco fatores de melhor explicar o retornos dos portfolios de ações, em blocos econômicos de mercados emergentes, em relação ao CAPM original e ao modelo de três fatores. Finalmente, o estudo mostra que as inovações no indice de inflação e as inovações da inclinação da curva de juros são proxies para os fatores de tamanho, valor, lucratividade e investimento, e, em conjunto com o excesso de retorno do mercado, conseguem explicar o cross-section dos excessos de retornos dos portfólios de ações melhor do que o modelo de cinco fatores. / [en] Since its proposition in the 1960s, the capital asset pricing model and its expansions, in particular the modeling proposed by Fama and French between the years 1992 and 2015, caused an enthusiastic debate about the economic interpretation of its factors. It has been demonstrated in the academic literature that variables describing the set of future investment opportunities should command a risk premium and should be correlated with the Fama and French factors. Another issue that has always been discussed is the application of this type of modeling to emerging markets. Weaker and less structured economies would follow the same rationality of developed markets? Fama-French s expansions add to the CAPM model factors that represent size, value, operating profitability, and corporate investment policy in two basic model versions. The first, proposed in 1993, adds to the excess market return a factor of size and a factor of value. It is usually called the three-factor model. The second, proposed in 2015, adds to the three-factor version a factor of operational profitability and a factor of companies investment policy. It is usually called the five-factor model. With the use of these models and the financial concepts involved, this thesis studies the possibility that the innovations in the average market variance, decomposed into two factors, one representing the average market variation and another representing the average market correlation, could increase the explanatory capacity of the three-factor model with respect to the excess returns of stock portfolios. It also studies the ability of the five-factor model to best explain stock portfolio returns in emerging market economic blocks relative to the original CAPM and the three-factor model. Finally, the study shows that innovations in the inflation index and innovations in the slope of the interest curve are proxies for size, value, profitability, and investment factors, and, together with excess market returns, explains cross-section of excess returns on stock portfolios better than the five-factor model.

[pt] Este trabalho busca analisar a divergência observada, quanto à aplicabilidade do prêmio de risco por tamanho, entre a proposta apresentada pela TBG – Transportadora Gasoduto Bolívia-Brasil e a resposta da ANP - Agência Nacional de Petróleo para estimação do custo de capital próprio que balizará a tarifa máxima de transporte de gás natural para a empresa regulada. Tanto a TBG quanto a ANP adotaram o Capital Asset Price Model – CAPM como modelo para estimação do custo de capital próprio, no entanto, a proposta da TBG considerou o prêmio de risco por tamanho, ao passo que a resposta da Agência Reguladora não acatou a inclusão desse prêmio, conforme consta na nota técnica nº 007/2018-SIM de 16 de julho de 2018. Para analisar a divergência em relação ao prêmio de risco por tamanho, foi o utilizado modelo de três fatores de Fama e French (1993), que considera, além do risco sistemático adotado no CAPM, os fatores tamanho e índice B/M (book-to-market) para mensuração do custo de capital próprio. Os resultados encontrados, com base no modelo de três fatores de Fama e French (1993), não indicam aplicabilidade do prêmio de risco por tamanho para estimação do custo de capital próprio no mercado regulado de transporte de gás natural, pois os coeficientes dos fatores small minus big (SMB) e high minus low (HML) não apresentaram resultados com significância estatística para diversas das carteiras analisadas. Adicionalmente, as empresas de menor porte (small) e de alto índice B/M (high) apresentaram, entre julho de 2009 e junho de 2018, retornos médios inferiores às empresas maiores (big) e de baixo índice B/M (low), não evidenciando a existência de prêmios de risco por tamanho e por valor. / [en] The purpose of this study is to analyze the divergence observed regarding the applicability of the size risk premium, between the proposal presented by TBG - Brazilian Transporter Gasoduto Bolívia-Brasil and the response of ANP - National Petroleum Agency, in the estimation of the cost of equity that will define the maximum rate for the transport of natural gas to the regulated company. Both TBG and ANP adopted the Capital Asset Price Model (CAPM) model, however, TBG proposal considered the size risk premium while ANP response did not accept the inclusion of this premium as stated in technical note no. 007/2018-SIM of July 16, 2018. To analyze this divergence was used the Fama and French three factor model (1993) that considers, besides the systematic risk adopted in the CAPM, the factors size and B/M (book-to-market) index for measuring the cost of equity. The results obtained, based on Fama and French three factors model (1993), do not indicate the applicability of the size risk premium for estimative of the cost of equity in the regulated natural gas transportation market, since the small minus big (SMB) and high minus low (HML) factor s coefficients did not present statistical significant results for some of the analyzed portfolios. In addition, smaller and high B/M companies presented, between July 2009 and June 2018, lower average returns than bigger and low B/M companies, not evidencing the existence of size and value risk premiums.

Financial markets, particularly capital and stock markets, play an important role in mobilizing and canalising the idle savings of individuals and institutions to the investment options where they are really required for productive purposes. The prediction of stock prices and returns is carried out in order to enhance the quality of investment decisions in stock markets, but it is considered to be tricky and complicates tasks as these prices behave in a random fashion and vary with time. Owing to the potential of returns and inherent risk factors in stock market returns. Various stock market prediction models and decision support systems such as Capital asset pricing model, the arbitrage pricing theory of Ross, the inter-temporal capital asset pricing model of Merton ,Fama and French five-factor model, and zero beta model to provide investors with an optimal forecast of stock prices and returns. In this research thesis, a stock market prediction model consisting of two parts is presented and discussed. The first is the three factors of the Fama and French model (FF) at the micro level to forecast the return of the portfolios on the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange (SASE) and the second is a Value Based Management (VBM) model of decision-making. The latter is based on the expectations of shareholders and portfolio investors about taking investment decisions, and on the behaviour of stock prices using an accurate modern nonlinear technique in forecasting, known as Artificial Neural Networks (ANN). This study examined monthly data relating to common stocks from the listed companies of the Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange from January 2007 to December 2011. The stock returns were predicted using the linear form of asset pricing models (capital asset pricing model as well as Fama and French three factor model). In addition, non-linear models were also estimated by using various artificial neural network techniques, and adaptive neural fuzzy inference systems. Six portfolios of stock predictors are combined using: average, weighted average, and genetic algorithm optimized weighted average. Moreover, value-based management models were applied to the investment decision-making process in combination with stock prediction model results for both the shareholders’ perspective and the share prices’ perspective. The results from this study indicate that the ANN technique can be used to predict stock portfolio returns; the investment decisions and the behaviour of stock prices, optimized by the genetic algorithm weighted average, provided better results in terms of error and prediction accuracy compared to the simple linear form of stock price prediction models. The Fama and French model of stock prediction is better suited to Saudi Arabian Stock Exchange investment activities in comparison to the conventional capital assets pricing model. Moreover, the multi-stage type1 model, which is a combination of Fama and French predicted stock returns and a value-based management model, gives more accurate results for the stock market decision-making process for investment or divestment decisions, as well as for observing variation in and the behaviour of stock prices on the Saudi stock market. Furthermore, the study also designed a graphic user interface in order to simplify the decision-making process based upon Fama and French and value-based management, which might help Saudi investors to make investment decisions quickly and with greater precision. Finally, the study also gives some practical implications for investors and regulators, along with proposing future research in this area.

Cette thèse a pour vocation principale d’expliquer l’énigme de la prime de risque en évaluant l’impact de la crise financière récente des Subprimes aux Etats-Unis sur la prime de risque. Etant donné que le coefficient du risque systématique demeure le facteur majeur de la prime de risque, nous avons recouru à une version conditionnelle du MEDAF afin d’étudier l’impact de la crise sur le bêta conditionnelle en utilisant comme spécification économétrique le GARCH multivarié (BEKK) d’Engel et Kroner (1995). La crise des subprimes qui a débuté à la fin de l’année 2007 avec l’effondrement du marché immobilier américain, a d'abord eu des conséquences sur la sphère financière locale. Mais elle a pris de l'ampleur, diffusant aux autres grandes places financières. Depuis longtemps, l’aversion au risque n’avait pas été aussi élevée et la faillite de la banque d’affaires Lehman Brothers en mi-septembre, a constitué le point d’orgue de la crise. Dans ce travail, nous nous sommes basé sur le marché boursier français et nous avons essayé de détecter l’impact de la crise financière sur la prime de risque des indices sectoriels. Pour ce faire, nous avons essayé de montrer l’effet de la crise sur le risque systématique bêta des indices. D’abord, nous avons créé des bêtas journaliers par le modèle GARCH bivarié (BEKK) d’Engel et Kroner sur la période allant de 01 Janvier 2007 au 31 Décembre 2014. Ensuite, nous avons régressé le bêta en introduisant comme variables explicatives la variance conditionnelle de l’indice et la variance conditionnelle du marché. Des variables Dummy y sont introduites pour détecter l’effet de la crise sur le bêta à partir du 15 Septembre 2008.Nos résultats ont montré que la crise financière a provoqué une hausse de volatilité des indices sectoriels. Cette hausse a eu un impact direct sur le risque systématique bêta ( positif significatif). Celle-ci a augmenté pour la majorité des secteurs durant la période après crise. / This thesis aims primarily to explain the enigma of the risk premium by assessing the impact of the recent financial subprime crisis in the United States on the risk premium. Since the systematic risk factor remains the major factor in the risk premium, we used a conditional version of the CAPM to study the impact of the crisis on the conditional beta using econometric specification as the multivariate GARCH ( BEKK) Engel and Kroner (1995). The subprime crisis that started in late 2007 with the collapse of the US housing market, first had an impact on the local financial sector. But it gained momentum, spreading to other major financial centers. Long time, risk aversion was not as high and the bankruptcy of investment bank Lehman Brothers in mid-September, was the organ of the crisis developed. In this work, we based on the French stock market and we tried to detect the impact of the financial crisis on the risk premium sector indices. To do this, we tried to show the effect of the crisis on the systematic risk beta indices. First, we created daily by the beta bivariate GARCH (BEKK) Engel and Kroner on the period from January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2014. Then we dropped the beta introducing explanatory variables variance conditional index and the conditional variance of the

Pension funds play a large role in the UK pension system since the returns of the funds determine how large the total pension will be. The future retirees can choose between active and passive fund management where the active management often is more expensive. In this study 102 actively managed UK equity pension funds are analyzed in order to see if managers have sufficient skill to generate risk adjusted return to cover the cost imposed on the investors. The result implies that the active pension funds in aggregate, before expenses, hold a portfolio that imitates market returns during 2000 to 2012. Bootstrap simulations suggest that only eight funds out of the sample of 102 have skilled managers and six of these managers are skilled enough to produce risk adjusted excess return large enough to cover the expenses imposed on the investor.