PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Conrad S. Ciccotello AU - Lori S. Walsh TI - Why Does a Fund Change Its Name? AID - 10.3905/joi.2001.319476 DP - 2001 Aug 31 TA - The Journal of Investing PG - 75--80 VI - 10 IP - 3 4099 - https://pm-research.com/content/10/3/75.short 4100 - https://pm-research.com/content/10/3/75.full AB - From 1995 through 1997, nearly 1,000 open-end mutual funds changed their names. While some name changes are clearly descriptive, others appear meaningless. Do name changes provide clues to investors about fund performance and operations? This study finds that funds tend to change names after periods of poor performance. Funds that change three or more words in their names have been especially weak performers. Funds undergoing name changes that coincide with a change in fund manager or strategy tend to significantly improve their performance.