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Reuters – Hedge funds stand to make gains from convertible bonds arbitrage again after last year’s huge losses decimated the sector, though improving markets have made the job more complicated.
Managers have been using a simple "buy and hold" strategy to ride a big bounce in depressed bond prices so far this year, enjoying gains of nearly 30 percent.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – “Hedge funds finished up 4.06% in May, capturing the largest monthly gains since February 2000." Oliver Schupp, President of Credit Suisse Index, said, Emerging Markets funds were the strongest performers, finishing up 6.96%. The Emerging Markets sector has experienced a significant turnaround over the last three months as risk appetite seems to be returning to markets, and investors are encouraged by positive signs of global growth and rising commodities prices.” Schupp added, “Convertible Arbitrage managers also performed well during May as funds capitalized on the overall appreciation in convertible bonds globally. The Convertible Arbitrage sector has been up every month this year, and redemption pressure seems to have eased substantially as a result.”
The Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index (“Broad Index”) is the industry’s premier asset-weighted hedge fund index. Unlike equal-weighted indices, the Broad Index does not underweight top performers and overweight decliners to provide the most accurate representation of the hedge fund universe.
Alex Akesson
Edtior for HedgeCo.Net Email: alex@hedgeco.net
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Bloomberg – Convertible bonds that punished hedge funds in 2008 are driving returns at Canyon Partners and Citadel Investment Group LLC and helping companies from JetBlue Airways Corp. to Alliance Data Systems Corp. raise capital.
Canyon, the $14.4 billion investment firm run by former Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. bankers, gained more than 51 percent in its convertible fund through May 22, according to a May 29 letter sent to investors. Citadel posted a 21 percent return in its two main funds through May, aided by convertible bets.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – In a preliminary hedge fund performance report for April 2009 and asset flows through March, Morningstar reported the largest one month-return since January 2006—bringing hedge fund returns into positive territory for 2009.
"Over the last two months, the bulls have dominated the markets, and stories of green shoots in the economy colored the financial media. The rally was led by higher-risk asset classes, including small-cap, financial sector, and emerging market stocks, as well as high-yield bonds and leveraged loans. Many hedge fund managers weren’t confident in the sustainability of the rally, and invested with a more conservative market exposure," said Nadia Papagiannis, Morningstar hedge fund analyst.
U.S. convertible bonds benefited from the trend toward higher-risk, low-credit-quality investments. According to the Merrill Lynch All U.S. Convertibles Index, these securities enjoyed their best month since 1987, with speculative-grade convertibles returning more than double the gains of investment-grade securities. The Morningstar Convertible Arbitrage Hedge Fund Index, the best-performing Morningstar hedge fund index this year, rose 5.1% in April and 12.5% year to date.
Also in the lower-quality field, the Morningstar Distressed Securities Hedge Fund Index increased 2.1% in April, the largest since the beginning of the credit crunch in mid 2007.
In emerging market equities, Eastern European countries produced the best returns in April, although this region is still recovering from its early 2009 nosedive. The only losers in April were the Morningstar Global Trend and Global Non-Trend Hedge Fund Indexes, which dropped 1.7% and 0.5% respectively.
According to Morningstar’s database, hedge funds overall continued to show a decline in outflows. In January, investors withdrew more than $29 billion from hedge funds, but February outflows totaled less than $6 billion, while March’s preliminary figure showed an even lower amount, at $3.6 billion. Despite the overall March trend of outflows, developed Asia equity hedge funds actually had net inflows of $4.1 billion in March, and investors were rewarded.
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New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Hedge funds gained 1.37 percent in March, according to data compiled by the Hennessee Group LLC. It was a successful month for the equity markets at well, with the S&P advancing 8.54 percent, the NASDAQ climbing 10.94 percent, and the Dow Jones advancing 7.73 percent.
"Hedge funds with a focus on the financial sector may potentially outperform in 2009," said Co-Founder of Hennessee Group Charles Gradante. "Not only did Citigroup and Bank of America announce a profitable January and February, but the borrowings at the Fed discount window have been steadily declining. It is possible that the banking crisis of confidence can unwind as quickly as it unfolded."
According to the data, the long/short equity index advanced 1.6 percent, thanks to programs launched by the U.S. government aimed at helping the banking sector. The arbitrage/event driven index gained 1.34 percent, with credit opportunities aplenty and many managers increasing stakes in bank debt, high yield and convertible bonds.
The global macro index saw a steady increase of .74 percent. The Hennessee Group pointed to the fact that many macro managers posted losses on their short-term Treasuries trade after the Fed announced they would buy $300 billion in U.S. Treasuries, which prompted buying and drove down yields.
This puts the YTD gain for hedge funds at just over 1 percent.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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Seeking Alpha – Ken Griffin’s Citadel has plans to roll out a few more funds, even after Citadel’s flagship funds had a rough year in 2008. One will focus on currencies and interest rates, one will focus on stocks, and another will focus on convertible bonds.
Citadel is trying to roll out lower fee funds in an effort to attract more investors. Additionally, it’s hoping to raise $2-5 billion for the Global Macro Fund.
Business Standard – Hedge funds and foreign currency convertible bonds (FCCBs) are replacing real estate as popular offshore investment destinations for India’s richest.
Hedge funds are investment funds which employ various strategies to produce absolute returns. These strategies could be long- short, event driven, arbitrage or of various other types. A long-short strategy involves buying stocks which are assumed to perform high and selling stocks which are assumed to perform low.
As hedge funds are considered to be a high risk asset class, they are recommended to only a few “ultra high net worth and sophisticated” clients only. "Currently we are recommending 10-15 per cent allocation in strategies such as long -short and arbitrage to well-informed HNIs", said the head of a private bank. The returns range from 12-15 per cent annually in dollar terms.
CNNMoney.com – New York hedge fund Elliott Associates LP lowered its offer price Tuesday for Epicor Software Corp., saying in a letter it was "extremely disappointed" Epicor’s board had recommended shareholders reject a takeover.
Elliott, a large shareholder in the Irvine, Calif., software company, told Epicor’s board that it will now offer $7.50 per share, which would value the company at $446.8 million based on the number of shares outstanding at Aug. 1. That’s down from Elliott’s previous offer of $9.50 per share, which valued Epicor at $565.9 million.
Elliott already owns 10.2 percent of the company’s shares.
Reuters – Endologix Inc said it received an unsolicited takeover bid from hedge fund Elliott Associates LP for $2.25 a share, 18 percent higher than the stock’s Wednesday closing price.
The company, which develops and manufactures minimally invasive treatments for vascular diseases, said it will review the unsolicited proposal and make a determination and respond in due course.
Endologix asked its stockholders to defer judgment on the unsolicited proposal until that determination has been made.
Also on Wednesday, New York-based Elliott took its $529 million cash offer for Epicor Software Corp directly to shareholders, two days after it was snubbed by the business software maker’s board. [nBNG397251]
Reuters – Hedge Fund Elliott Associates LP on Wednesday took its $529 million cash offer for Epicor Software Corp directly to shareholders, two days after it was snubbed by the business software maker’s board.
Elliott said it, through a unit, is offering $9.50 per share through the tender offer, about 40 percent premium to the stock’s closing price Tuesday, and a 20 percent premium at the time of its October 1 offer to the company.
"We would not be surprised to see shareholders accept Elliott’s offer," analyst Peter Goldmacher of Cowen & Co said by phone, adding that he does not expect a rival bid to surface.
Epicor shares shot up as much as 14 percent in morning trade but pared some of their gains and were trading up 29 cents at $7.09 in midday trade on Nasdaq.
Forbes – Business software company Epicor Software Corp. said Monday it will not pursue a $566 million buyout offer from shareholder Elliott Associates LP.
Hedge funds Elliott Associates and Elliott International LP offered to buy Epicor Oct. 1 for $9.50 per share, representing a 20.4 percent premium to the stock’s closing price of $7.89 on Sept. 30. Based on Epicor’s 59.6 million outstanding shares as of Aug. 1, the deal would be worth roughly $566 million.
At the time, the offer was still well below the stock’s 52-week high of $14.04 reached last October.
The hedge funds own 10.2 percent of Epicor.
In a letter to Elliott, Epicor President and Chief Executive Thomas F. Kelly said the company has a roadmap of products planned over the next 18 to 24 months and has the opportunity to establish itself further in the market and grow.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – Noci Pictures Entertainment a Chicago and Los Angeles film production and structured finance company thinks it may have the answer and its own opportunity with its $100 million dollar international tax advantaged structured film deal that has an option to be principally protected as well using CPPI, including a stand alone 100% principal protected Prints and Advertising Fund which will insure the Company’s U.S. theatrical distribution.
"No matter how bad things are in the world, people need to be entertained", states Yuri Rutman, Noci’s CEO. "And while the crowd mentality of panic in the U.S. financial markets exists, overseas, properly structured commercial films generate more revenues which add to bigger distributor buys with the Euro vs. USD."
Apart from Elliott Associates, other investors including billionaires,family offices from Wall Street to Silicon Valley to the Middle East to Russia have been parking their money into Hollywood.
Larry Ellison Of Oracle, Paul Allen Of Microsoft, Steven Rales, Fred Smith of Federal Express, Norman Waitt, the Co-Founder of Gateway Computers, Jeff Skoll Of Ebay, Marc Turtletaub of The Money Store, Roger Marino Of EMC Corp, Sidney Kimmel Of Jones Apparel Group, Minnesota Twins owner Bill Pohlad; Real Estate Developers Tom Rosenberg and Bob Yari, and, financiers Sheikh Waleed Al Ibrahim, Michel Litvak, and Philip Anschutz are all behind the finance of a lot of films that range from box office hits to Academy Award winners.
While the glamour of the movie business may be appealing to most, at the end of the day, it is still an unknown business that many try to gamble on, and only a handful come out as winners. The real key is to minimize risk, maximize profits, and offer a steadier stream of revenues than what other alternative investments may offer such as real estate, oil & gas, commodities, hedge funds, or practically any other investment in today’s market.
The Company is putting together a slate of films using an innovative hybrid public-private finance strategy aimed at investors who either want to take a 100% Federal deduction under Section 181 or "The American Jobs Creations Act" against their ordinary income, get an additional 20-40% in tradable and monetized state tax credits or cash rebates, have a hedge of revenues from 20-30 films, a possible exit IPO on the London AIM., as well as stimulating local economic development, and creating jobs, including for women and minorities. Plus the Company is offering an alternative 100% principal protection of capital using Constant Proportion Portfolio Insurance.
"I don’t know of any other alternative investment that can offer tax incentives, multiple exit strategies, an opportunity to guarantee 100% of capital, as well as giving back to the American economy and labor, while being involved with the moviemaking process", states Yuri Rutman,. "That would also add to the long line of recent film funds that have been structured with numerous hedge funds, private equity investors, corporate tax credit buyers, and institutions. Heck I don’t even know of any business that someone can start where they know they will receive an exact ROI before they see any profits".
"I am also surprised how many investors, hedge funds, VC, tax planners, CPA’s, tax attorneys, public and private companies have no clue about these benefits", Rutman adds. "Federal Preservation, New Markets Tax Credits, etc was the usual route for tax credit planning or alternative investments , but film production incentives offer a more liquid premium, equity, as well as a little Hollywood adventure and schmoozing with movie stars."
Rutman adds "Plus, I am reinventing ‘conscious’ film finance. A lot of competitor deals have proven that they didn’t do their homework and won’t be around in a few years because they didn’t do their homework. I want to be making movies when I am 90".
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