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Dr You Zhou

Dr You Zhou

  • Position: Research Officer
  • Areas of expertise: Asset Management (Mutual Funds), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Corporate Governance, ESG Investing, Stock Market Anomalies, Artificial Intelligence in Finance, AI-Driven Stock Investment Strategies.
  • Email: Y.Zhou7@leeds.ac.uk
  • Phone: +44(0)113 343 0466
  • Website: GitHub | LinkedIn

Profile

With his research, You strives to make significant contributions to understanding the relationship between corporate investment behaviour and the impact of sustainability considerations on investment decisions, which can influence both academic literature and practical applications in finance. Focusing on a diverse range of interrelated topics – including Asset Management (Mutual Funds), Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A), Corporate Governance, ESG Investing, Stock Market Anomalies, and AI-Driven Stock Investment Strategies – his research underscores how sustainable corporate practices can drive responsible investing, further strengthening financial stability, ethical business conduct, and long-term economic growth. Additionally, his research explores the intersection of finance and technology. By integrating artificial intelligence into investment strategies, he provides valuable insights that benefit both investors and society, promoting responsible corporate behaviour and informed financial decision-making. His PhD in Finance is from LUBS. He teaches courses related to accounting and finance, including PG and UG dissertation modules.

Research interests

His research interest focuses on asset management studies. 

  • Mutual fund flows and performance
  • ESG Investing and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A)
  • Asset Management
  • Asset pricing anomalies in stocks
  • AI-Based Quantitative Investment Strategies

Research Papers

  • Zhou, You and Li, Peng and Cai, Charlie Xiaowu and Keasey, Kevin, Do Funds with More CAPM Investors Perform Better? And, If So, Why? (January 3, 2023). Available at_SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2839798 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2839798; Presented at 2020 Financial Management Association (FMA) Conference, 50th Annual Meeting hosted by New York University. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, forthcoming.
  • Zhou, Y., Yeqin, Zeng, and Wanling, Rudkin, 2021. Corporate ESG performance, mispricing and gains from mergers and acquisitions. Working paper. Presented at:  2021 Financial Management Association (FMA) Conference, 51st Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado. Session Chair/ Presented at:  2022 British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference, Manchester, UK. 2024 Financial Economic Meeting, Paris, France; 2024 Internationl Finance and Banking Society Conference, Shanghai, China. Financial Review, forthcoming.
  • Rudkin, W., Cai, C.X. and Zhou, Y., 2024. Can we enhance investment with ESG. International Review of Financial Analysis, p.103776
  • Elsayed, A. H. , Khalfaoui, R. and Zhou, Y., 2024, Sustainable Development in G20 Economies: The Role of Environmental Policy, Technology, and R&D Using Method of Moments Quantile Analysis, Energy Economics, forthcoming.
  • Zhou, Y., Rudkin, W. and  Cai, X. Charlie, 2023. Do fund investors really value sustainability? ESG risks, mutual fund flows, and fund performance, Working paper. Presented at: 2023 British Accounting and Finance Association(BAFA) conference Liverpool, UK; 2023 British Academy of Management (BAM) Conference, Brighton, UK; 2024 Ethical Finance and Sustainability Conference, Leeds, UK. 
  • Elsayed, A. H., Khalfaoui, R. and Zhou, Y., 2025, Forecasting European Union Carbon Prices: A Boosted Regression Trees Learning Method, Energy Economics, forthcoming.
  • Zhou, Y., Han, J., Elsayed, A. H., and Wu, H. 2024. Decoding the Smart Money Effect: Insights from UK Equity Funds. Working paper.
  • Cai, X. Charlie, Zhao, Ran, and Zhou, You,  2022. Salience theory and mutual funds, Working paper.
  • Riley, Christopher and Zhou, You, 2023. Factor Models with Time-Varying Coefficients, Working paper.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Finance
  • MSc in Financial Economics
  • Bachelor in Finance (First-class)

Student education

Teaching

LUBS5062 PG Accounting and Finance Dissertation in 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
LUBS3316 UG Dissertation for Accounting, Banking, and Finance in 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
Bloomberg Trading Room Demonstration in 2021-2022, 2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025.
Bloomberg Trading Room Assistant in 2016-2017, 2017-2018.