Forbes – The hedge fund sector has to date weathered market volitality better than the banking sector, since no large bellwether hedge fund has yet gone bankrupt. Nonetheless, hedge funds are expecting a wave of redemptions, as investors move to safer investments and reconsider their commitments to the sector.
Hedge fund sector resilience? Whereas banking sector difficulties have provoked a host of policy responses, including Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson’s now-moribund $700 billion bailout package–no hedge fund problem has yet necessitated a similar systemic response. The apparent resilience of the sector is particularly striking given that recent estimates suggest that the $2 trillion hedge fund industry accounts for approximately 30% of U.S. equity and bond trades (although volatile market conditions have led many managers to shift greater percentages of their holdings into cash-equivalents).
