Abstract
Analysing the financial performance of Islamic equity indices from all relevant providers, we document these indices to outperform their conventional benchmarks on a global and developed market level after controlling for investment styles and a potential back-testing bias. To explain this outperformance puzzle, we investigate fundamental (ie risk factors), behavioural (ie Ramadan) and research design (ie sample length) related explanations but the overall results persist. When eliminating the effect of the financial services industry from conventional benchmarks, however, the outperformance of all indices except the Dow Jones Islamic Market (DJIM) world index disappears. This implies that Islamic equity indices have outperformed due to their critical position towards risk-free interest and the financial services industry. We conclude that they represent a viable alternative for risk-averse passive investors, especially during periods of high uncertainty around financial services and that further research is needed to fully understand the performance of the DJIM.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
