Each business day HedgeCo.Net keeps you informed with the top hedge fund industry news, opinion and insight from around the globe. From the latest hedge fund launches, to the impact of regulation, competition, and investor activism - we track the topics and people that make a difference to you.
Reuters – D.E. Shaw, the world’s fourth largest hedge fund, is opening in Dubai to tap public and private opportunities in the world’s largest oil exporting region and ease Gulf Arab investors moves into overseas markets.
“We wanted to be here because the region is home to many investors with deep regional knowledge and global reach,” Trey Beck, a managing director of D. E. Shaw & Co told Reuters.
Bloomberg – Crude oil was little changed near $60 a barrel in New York amid concerns the global recovery has yet to take root, postponing a rebound in demand for fuel.
Hedge-fund managers and other large speculators reduced their net-long position in New York in the week ended July 7, according to the latest data from regulators. Stocks dropped from Dubai to Taipei and Treasuries rose on speculation that government rescue measures have not taken effect.
“Bearish sentiment in the market is persisting,” said Andrey Kryuchenkov, an analyst at VTB Capital in London. “It’s weak, so a move to $58.30 is possible, but we should consolidate around there.”
The Lawyer – Offshore giant Appleby is to merge with Isle of Man firm Dickinson Cruickshank to create the world’s largest offshore firm in terms of partner numbers.
The combined firm will have 73 partners and nine offices worldwide, including in Dubai and Zurich, where Appleby opened last year.
It is the first major offshore merger since Appleby first moved into the Channel Islands by combining with Jersey-based firm Bailhache Labesse in June 2006.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) -Hedge fund admin provider, Variman LLC, and Hedge Funds Care are working together offering discounted monthly service fees to emerging hedge fund managers who donate the standard set-up fee to Hedge Funds Care on behalf of Variman LLC.
"Given the difficult times our industry is currently facing, Variman Fund Services is making an effort to support both the needs of the marketplace and those of abused children, we believe this initiative will be worthwhile and bring solid value to all involved." Variman said
Hedge Funds Care was established in 1998, Hedge Funds Care has distributed over $18 million through more than 500 grants. In 2009, annual benefits will take place in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Toronto, London and the Cayman Islands. Variman LLC is headquartered in Short Hills, NJ, USA with offices in Dubai and India.
HedgeCo.Net is a premier hedge fund database and community for qualified and accredited investors only. Membership on www.hedgeco.net is FREE and EASY. We also offer FREE LISTINGS for Hedge Funds!
Reuters Shanghai – The investment banking arm of China Construction Bank plans to launch a 5 billion yuan ($731.3 million) fund to focus on investments in the country’s rapidly growing heathcare sector, state media reported on Tuesday.
Hong Kong-based CCB International is leading the fundraising but has not yet reached the initial target of 5 billion yuan, the online edition of the official Xinhua News Agency (www.xinhuanet.com) said.
Once launched, the fund would focus on investments in healthcare-related sectors including pharmacy, medical equipment manufacturing, medical institutions and services, Xinhua quoted CCB International’s chief executive, Hu Zhanghong, as saying.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – According to a recent survey conducted by the Association of Investment Companies (AIC), a poll of 1,300 sophisticated private investors showed that 15% believed that hedge funds offer the potential for strong returns in the current environment. However they are also concerned about their perceived lack of transparency (17%) and riskiness (17%).
Investors are also cautious about hedge funds because they believe that they are not regulated (14%), and are concerned about the reputation for high charges (12%). Some investors also find them confusing (11%) and believe they are only accessible to the wealthy (5%).
Although some sophisticated private investors are wary of hedge funds, 6% of those surveyed are already investing in hedge funds, 5% have invested in the past and 3% are planning to invest in the future. Interestingly, nearly half (46%) of investors believe they may possibly invest in hedge funds in the future whilst only 29% of investors surveyed would never invest in hedge funds.
"Many of these investors’ concerns over hedge funds are addressed through the listed hedge fund and fund of hedge funds sectors," Annabel Brodie-Smith, Communications Director of the Association of Investment Companies (AIC) said, "The listed structure of closed ended hedge funds and fund of funds means investors have access to a much higher level of transparency. Shares in listed funds are available on the stock market just like any other share so they are available to those of modest means as well as the super wealthy."
"This is a real growth area of the industry with the hedge fund sector making up 65% of the assets raised this year in the investment company sector. However, it is still a young sector, so long-term performance records are not available for the majority. Investors need to do their homework to make sure they select the right fund for them in this diverse sector and if they are unsure they should take independent financial advice," she concluded.
Ian Plenderleith, Chairman of BH Macro, said, "Hedge funds who can maintain the necessary standards of investment expertise and risk management have demonstrated that they can deliver superior returns on a consistent basis. Listed hedge fund vehicles give a wider range of investors access to alternative investment strategies through an avenue they are familiar with. They get the benefit of the regulatory safeguards and disclosure obligations, and the secondary market liquidity that go with stock exchange listing."
Robin Bowie, Chairman of Dexion Capital, said: "When dislocation in financial markets reaches the present level, it provides an ideal environment for hedge funds, which are well-placed to make opportunistic investments where they recognise value and can hedge out the market risk. Some of those positions will be illiquid, which will be unsuitable for most managers of open-ended funds. Closed-ended funds employ ‘permanent capital’, raised on the stock exchange, which allow managers to blend liquid and illiquid assets and take advantage of the current mismatch in the markets. In essence, closed-ended funds bring liquidity to illiquid situations."
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Independent – The FTSE 100 Index tumbled more than 200 points today after a weekend of financial turmoil in Europe.
Investors took scant comfort from Friday’s backing of a US financial rescue to leave the FTSE 100 Index down almost 5 per cent or 240.5 points at 4739.
Banks were under pressure after German mortgage lender Hypo Real Estate became the latest to receive state aid.
Analysts said the impact of the latest crisis crossed all sectors amid fears of slowing demand.
Halifax Bank of Scotland – soon to merge with Lloyds TSB – plunged 15 per cent in the sell-off, while Royal Bank of Scotland suffered a 10 per cent drop.
The market was also hit hard by hefty falls from heavily-weighted mining stocks after experts warned that the sector’s earnings could almost halve this year.
Economic Times Mumbai – The concomitant impact of huge selling in European markets such as FTSE, CAC and DAX, falling more than 3 per cent, has seen a dip back home in realty, bank, IT and capital goods stocks.
Sectors like power, metal, pharma, auto and oil & gas saw a huge selling pressure and dropped more than 5 per cent, with an exception of realty, which was down more than 10 per cent.
Reports are doing rounds that US-based hedge funds are going for redemption within a span of 90 days and this announcement has pulled the market to a large extent.
Reuters UK – Hedge funds are likely to increase short exposure to retail stocks following a ban on short selling financial shares imposed by UK and U.S. regulators, industry insiders said on Friday.
Equity long/short and market neutral hedge funds will be among those most affected by the ban as short selling — betting the price of a share will fall — is a key component of their investment strategies.
Shorting financial stocks has been a popular trade among hedge funds this year, but now they will be forced to switch their attention to other sectors.
John Godden, of hedge fund consultant IGS Group, said: "Commodity and infrastructure providers are continuing to be strong and showing signs of growth going forward. Some service industries are likely to be pretty heavily hit by a slowdown so from a market neutral perspective, there’s your long and short sectors."
Proactive Investors UK – The top thirty gainers for the London Stock Exchange (‘LSE’) read out like a roll call for the British and Irish financial industry, after the Financial Services Authority (‘FSA’) announced late last night that it was imposing a temporary ban on short selling financial stocks. Groups with short positions over 0.25% in the 29 companies included in the ban will have to declare their positions by Tuesday.
Not surprisingly, the FTSE 100 roared to life this morning, climbed a whopping 340 points, or 7.1% to 5225 by 10:30am, the biggest single day gain in more than two decades. The surge higher was lead by financial institutions, which have been offered a temporary reprieve from the usually lucrative tactic by hedge funds to short sectors out of favour with the market. Even large spread betting firms, like CMC Markets, informed private investors this morning that it was not accepting any new short bets on financial stocks, as under normal circumstances, it would hedge those bets, but can no longer do so.
Reuters Tokyo – Global buyout firm Advent International said it has raised 60 billion yen (317 million pounds) for its first private equity fund in Japan.
The fund, which opened its office in Tokyo in 2001, will target companies with enterprise values from 5 to 50 billion yen, but could be involved in larger deals through co-investment with other Advent funds, it said in a release.
Advent, with nine professional staff in Tokyo, said it will target four main sectors — health and life sciences, industrial, retail and consumer, and support services.
Private equity firms have spent $8.7 billion in buying Japanese companies since the beginning of this year, down 19 percent from the same period last year, Thomson Reuters data shows.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Former Pacific Investment Management Co. portfolio manager John Brynjolfsson is rumored to be starting his own hedge fund in the near future.
Ronald Solberg of Viking Asset Management will team up with Brynjolfsson to run Armored Wolf LLC, which will “vary weightings among real asset sectors and securities based on a top-down assessment of the investing environment,” according to the firm’s website.
Prior to venturing out on his own, Brynjolfsson managed the $14.4 billion Commodity Real Return Strategy Fund at Pimco and has been with the firm since 1989. The Commodity Real Return Strategy Fund employed swap agreements to gain exposure to changes in a broad index of commodity futures prices, using portfolio assets as collateral.
Brynjolfsson also ran the firm’s $15.5 billion Real Return Fund. Both funds saw impressive gains in 2007 during a year when many hedge funds were suffering.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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