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.
Politico – Schumer, No. 3 in the Senate Democratic leadership and the former chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, has offered scads of proposals that the industry doesn’t like on issues from corporate governance to derivatives to the creation of a new consumer watchdog for the financial world.
But his top donors include insurance company New York Life Insurance, private equity firm Lightyear Capital, futures clearinghouse MBF Clearing Corp. and real estate companies Rudin Management and Related Companies.
Quite a few financial insiders express frustration with Schumer, feeling he’s thrown the industry under the bus now that it’s politically popular to do so — after having collected mountains of cash from the industry to help the Democrats build their 60-vote majority in the Senate.
The hedge funds and private equity firms included in that giving also see him as something of a champion for them. Private equity, hedge funds, and venture capital firms gave him more than $707,100 during the 2010 cycle, nearly double what the industry has donated to any other member. Their support can be traced back to a 2007 battle over the “carried interest” bill that would have more than doubled the taxes paid by investment managers.
The legislation passed the House, but momentum petered out in the Senate — a victory some financial services lobbyists attribute to Schumer.
New York (HedgeCo.net) – Hedge funds’ good fortunes persisted in August according to a preliminary hedge fund performance report from Morninstar.
“Hedge fund returns in August were driven by strong equity markets throughout the developed world,” said Nadia Papagiannis, Morningstar hedge fund analyst. “Many hedge funds claim to be uncorrelated to the markets, but it appears that the rising tide of the market has lifted all boats, including hedge funds.”
The Morningstar 1000 Hedge Fund Index and the currency-hedged Morningstar MSCI Composite Hedge Fund Index rose 1.6% and 1.5%, respectively in August. For the year to date through August, these indexes increased 13.7% and 9.5%, respectively.
Developed countries’ stock markets rallied for the sixth straight month on positive news in areas such as manufacturing. The Morningstar MSCI Developed Markets Hedge Fund Index appreciated in August by 1.9%, with the Morningstar MSCI Europe Equity Hedge Fund Index outperforming with an increase of 2.9%, as European stock markets hit 11-month highs on better-than-expected economic data in France and Germany. In the United States, continuing the year-long trend, smaller-company equities outperformed larger-cap stocks. The Morningstar US Small Cap Equity Hedge Fund Index rose 1.9% versus the Morningstar US Equity Hedge Fund Index’s 1.4% rise.
Emerging market equities stagnated in August, with gains in Eastern Europe and certain other countries offset by steep losses in China. The Shanghai Composite Index experienced a severe sell-off, dropping nearly 7% on the last day of the month to its lowest level since May. The sell-off was fueled by fears that the Chinese government may curb stimulus measures. The Morningstar Emerging Markets Equity Hedge Fund Index rose 1.6%, as many funds in this index had lighter weightings in China than did the index.
The big winners in August were hedge funds that trade distressed securities. Credit markets, notably the more speculative ones, continued to rebound in August, though the pace of appreciation has slowed. Global corporate bond issuance broke 2007 levels in August, improving liquidity, and leveraged loan prices reached 12-month highs with some new issues. The Morningstar Distressed Securities Hedge Fund Index rallied 4.1%.
August returns and July asset flows for the Morningstar Hedge Fund Indexes are based on funds that reported as of Sept. 17, 2009. Returns for the Morningstar MSCI Hedge Fund Indexes are based on funds that reported August performance as of Sept. 14, 2009.
Editing by Alex Akesson
For HedgeCo.net alex@hedgeco.net 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!
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – A new study by Capintro Partners, analyzing the impact of the events of 2008 on the hedge fund industry, indicates that the crisis may have led to structural changes which could benefit hedge funds.
The report makes a compelling case for having hedge funds as a strategic long term investment within a diversified portfolio. Capintro Partners highlights five key changes in the industry:
1) Assets in the industry have substantially declined due to investor redemptions, weak performance and flight to quality. The reduction in assets allows for outsized positive performance due to reduced competition among hedge fund managers within the same strategy.
2) The number of managers in the industry has also decreased, further reducing competition leading to wider spreads and an opportunity for larger gains.
3) Hedge funds have historically outperformed post crises and have performed well preserving capital throughout historical crisis events.
4) Hedge fund returns have varied more widely causing dispersion among manager returns to increase and correlation among managers and hedge fund strategies to decrease. This allows for greater diversification benefits to investors and leads to higher risk adjusted returns.
5) In order to attract new assets, managers are offering investors various incentives that may include access to closed funds, higher levels of liquidity, greater transparency and/or reduced fees.
Strategies that trade liquid securities and are able to take advantage of the volatility in global markets will be better positioned to outperform. Capintro favors the following strategies for the remainder of 2009:
1) Global Macro
2) Arbitrage
3) Equity Hedge
“It’s important for investors to realize that the current environment presents substantial opportunities for hedge fund managers and in turn for them. Our objective is to help uncover these opportunities, specifically in the aftermath of the events of 2008 and the massive de-leveraging that took place within the financial system” said Mahmoud Al-Khawaja, CEO of Capintro Partners.
About Capintro Partners, Ltd.
Headquartered in the United Kingdom with a representative office in Dubai, Capintro undertakes a range of activities including, but not limited to, placement services of actively managed funds and direct investments in the alternative investment industry including hedge funds. Aiming to become a leader in the investment product placement business, Capintro will bridge a gap between global investment managers and institutional and high net worth clients throughout the MENA (Middle East and North Africa) region.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – Long/Short Equity hedge funds returned positive performance in August mainly as a result of the continued uptrend in equity markets, according to Jordan Drachman, Head of Research for Alternative Beta Strategies at Credit Suisse.
“Following a strong rally in July, equity markets continued their upward trend in August, reaching highs not achieved since October 2008.” Dr. Drachman noted, “Long/Short Equity hedge fund managers continued to increase their overall net exposures in order to benefit from market gains. Despite brief corrections due to a mid-month weak consumer sentiment report, managers were able to finish up for the month. The Credit Suisse Long/Short Equity Replication Index (“AIR Long/Short Equity Index”) was up 1.55% (net) for the month, while the Credit Suisse Global Macro Replication Index (“AIR Global Macro Index”) finished up 0.08% (net) over the same period.”
AIR Indices seek to replicate the performance of major hedge fund strategies and enable investors to gain liquid, transparent insight into the Global Macro and Long/Short Equity sectors of the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index. The AIR platform also offers inverse indices that seek to approximate short exposure to the aggregate returns of the universe of Long/Short Equity and Global Macro hedge fund managers.
Performances for the AIR Global Macro and Long/Short Equity Indices are calculated daily and shown net of a 1.15% per annum calculation fee.
Alex Akesson
Editor for HedgeCo.net alex@hedgeco.net 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!
HedgeCo.net (West Palm Beach) – Long/Short Equity hedge funds continued to increase overall net exposures in July, enabling managers to capitalize on market upswings early in the month, according to Jordan Drachman, Head of Research for Alternative Beta Strategies at Credit Suisse.
Dr. Drachman noted, ”As risk appetite returns to the market, many Long/Short Equity hedge fund managers have increased their overall net exposures, which enabled them to generate positive returns as equity markets bounced back early in July. Despite mid-month volatility, managers were able to preserve gains to finish up for the month. The Credit Suisse Long/Short Equity Replication Index was up 1.96% (net) for the month, while the Credit Suisse Global Macro Replication Index finished up 0.03% over the same period.”
AIR Indices seek to replicate the performance of major hedge fund strategies and enable investors to gain liquid, transparent insight into the Global Macro and Long/Short Equity sectors of the Credit Suisse/Tremont Hedge Fund Index. The AIR platform also offers inverse indices that seek to approximate short exposure to the aggregate returns of the universe of Long/Short Equity and Global Macro hedge fund managers.
Performances for the AIR Global Macro and Long/Short Equity Indices are calculated daily and shown net of a 1.15% per annum calculation fee.
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!
HedgeCo.net (West Palm Beach) – BTIG LLC. announced that it has expanded its Prime Brokerage group to offer fixed income services, including trading and portfolio financing. The expansion into fixed income is in conjunction with the launch of BTIG’s Global Fixed Income Group in February of this year, which focuses on sales and trading of credit products across the full credit spectrum from investment grade to distressed debt.
BTIG Prime Brokerage previously covered equity and equity options and made the move to fixed income to better meet the needs of its hedge fund clients in today’s market.
“As our clients became more interested in fixed income products, we saw a huge need and opportunity to expand our services,” Justin Press, Managing Director and Co-Head of Prime Brokerage, said. “We have created a one-of-a-kind fixed income offering that will bridge the gap for hedge fund managers who have traditionally been operating in equities only.”
BTIG’s Prime Brokerage clients also benefit from the firm’s full range of expertise and services, including Outsource Trading, Market Intelligence, International Trading, and access to the Equity Derivatives team, Capital Introduction team and Commission Management services. The Prime Brokerage group was launched in January 2004 and caters to start-up and existing long/short equity hedge funds. Prime Brokerage and middle office operations have a combined 40+ professionals.
The Global Fixed Income Group has added 50+ professionals since its launch earlier this year.
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Bloomberg – Frederic Eechaute, a former senior analyst at DKR Oasis Management Co. LP, will start a Japan- focused equity hedge fund that trades stocks using its own analyst database.
Eechaute, who will split his time between Tokyo and Sydney, along with Stephen Good, who formerly worked in the Japanese equity sales department at Mizuho Securities Co., set up Instinct Capital in June to run the new fund that may open as early as September. The fund will employ a so-called long-short strategy, betting on rising and falling stocks, and have a maximum capacity of 30 billion yen ($319 million).
Reuters UK – Most strategies employed by hedge fund managers globally failed to generate positive returns in June as stock markets moved sideways and commodity prices slid during the month, according to estimates from Lipper on Tuesday.
The best-performing hedge fund strategy was "convertible arbitrage" which returned 0.28 percent, while the worst-performing strategy was "managed futures" which lost 1.59 percent. Long/short equity hedge funds declined 0.23 percent.
Overall, nine of the 13 strategies tracked by Lipper lost money last month.
Seeking Alpha – William von Mueffling’s Cantillon Capital Management will be closing down the hedge fund portion of its business. The fund will wind down its positions except for $1 billion worth of long positions as it reverts to a long-only shop. We’ve not covered Cantillon in our portfolio tracking series before, but von Mueffling is quite a prominent name in the industry.
His firm had $10 billion assets at its peak and more recently had around $3.5 billion assets under management. He founded the firm in 2003 after leaving Lazard, where he helped build up the investment house’s hedge fund business. Like many of the long/short equity hedge funds we track, Cantillon is a stock picking firm.
Seeking Alpha – Continuing our series of hedge fund profiles and biographies, we turn our attention now to Lee Ainslie of Maverick Capital. We thought this transition was appropriate given how we just yesterday initiated our profile series with coverage of hedge fund legend Julian Robertson of Tiger Management. (We also covered Robertson’s big inflation bet as well). We turn to Lee Ainslie of Maverick Capital now because Ainslie formerly worked under Julian at Tiger. As such, he is a ‘Tiger Cub’ and employs much of the investment methodologies he learned while at Tiger as their technology analyst.
Ainslie graduated from the University of Virginia and then received his MBA from the University of North Carolina. He founded Maverick Capital at age 29 in 1993 with $38 million in seed capital from Texas entrepreneur Sam Wyly. Maverick has offices both in Dallas and New York and now managers well over $5 billion. They are a long/short equity hedge fund in the ‘old school’ sense of the word.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) - London hedge fund manager ACP Partners, which is soon to merge with TriAlpha Investment Advisors, said that their long/short eguity strategy fund, ACP Financial Opportunities, has beaten its benchmark by over 65% in its first six months.
Since the fund launch on 1 September 2008 through 28 February 2009, the new fund, which invests across a group of portfolio managers focused on the financial sector, returned 4.9%. Its benchmark, the S&P 1200 Global Financials, returned -60.7% over the same period, and the HFRI Equity Hedge Index -22.2%.
"Financials account for around 20% of global equity market capitalisation and, despite benefiting from significant diversification, the financial sector as a whole exhibits a high degree of complexity and is under-covered by specialist investors." Stephen Greene, partner and CIO of the ACP’s Multi Manager business, said, "Having undergone an unprecedented shock, resulting in severe price dislocations, such conditions are ideal for sector specialist hedge fund managers to add value."
"The key to achieving positive returns has been portfolio construction. The portfolio was specifically structured to benefit from the expected market volatility as we placed significant emphasis on sourcing managers with trading orientated approaches, ‘macro-aware’ processes and short term catalysts for value realisation. Unusually, our fund was one of only a very few fund of funds to be market neutral over this period of turmoil." Greene concluded.
As examples, the portfolio currently shorts banks that lack balance sheet integrity and takes a long position on banks that have been through the exercise of write-downs and capital raises. The underlying managers also hold long positions in property and casualty insurers and reinsurers, who have strong balances sheets and will benefit from a firming of insurance premiums and decreased competition. Conversely, they have taken short positions in life insurance companies whose shorter term liabilities now far outweigh their available liquid assets. Several of the managers have been shorting consumer sensitive sectors, such as credit cards and consumer finance.
The fund has a minimim investment of $1,000,000 (or equivalent) with quarterly redemptions, and a managment fee of 1% and performance fee of 10%.
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West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – Carried interest legislation is being considered at the federal, state and local level, raising significant local and international tax issues.
Carried interests, which form an essential element of business in almost every section of the U.S. economy (real estate, private equity, hedge funds and health care), have been subject to significant legislative proposals over the last two years.
Most investment funds (hedge and equity) have a general partner (LLC or LP) which receives a management fee (2%) and a carried interest equal to a percentage (e.g., 20%) of economic income including realized capital gains.
Proposals to reform the taxation of carried interest started in January of 2007 with legislation introduced by Senator Levin (D-MI) that would recharacterize "carried interest" income as ordinary income.
During 2008 New York State proposed and New York City introduced legislation that would change the way carried interest is taxed.
President Obama’s Budget Blueprint released on February 26, 2009 includes a line item related to taxing carried interest as ordinary income.
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