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Bloomberg - RAB Capital Plc is trying to freeze client redemptions for three years to avoid liquidation of its flagship hedge fund, which lost almost half its value this year.
RAB fell as much as 14 percent in London trading after it said investors have until Sept. 29 to vote on the plan, which would cut fees and postpone redemptions until Oct. 3, 2011.
Special Situations, RAB’s largest fund, has lost more than $1 billion this year from investments in Northern Rock Plc, a mortgage lender nationalized by the U.K. government, and small natural-resources companies such as Oxus Gold Plc, a miner down 68 percent this year. RAB Chief Executive Officer Philip Richards stepped down this month to focus on the fund, once one of London’s best performers, returning 1,475 percent in 2003.
“If the investors reject the proposal, the group would then have to liquidate the portfolio,” said Irfan Younus, an analyst at NCB Stockbrokers in London who has a “reduce” rating on the stock. “In a worst-case scenario, unwinding of this could pose a significant threat to the franchise.”
RAB plans to liquidate the investments if it’s unable to get investor support for the new structure, the company said. It didn’t disclose how many investors had to approve the changes.
We “regret the impact that the performance will have on investors,” Richards said in a statement. “We believe that the underlying thesis of investment in early-stage natural resources is one that will repay patient investors over time.”
Telegraph.co.uk - Mark McGoldrick, a former Goldman Sachs trader whose track record earned him the nickname ‘Goldfinger’ during his career with the Wall Street bank, is making a comeback with a new $5bn (£2.8bn) fund.
McGoldrick, who famously earned $70m a year ($200,000 a day), but resigned because it was not enough, has asked his old firm to raise money for a super hedge fund that will concentrate on special situations.
While at Goldman Sachs, McGoldrick was head of distressed and special situations investing in Asia. He co-founded and built the firm’s secretive ’special-situations group’, Goldman’s elite and opaque money-making machine, which buys and sells eclectic assets including British power plants, Japanese golf courses and Thai auto loans.
West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net)- Soon after the scheduled departure of several senior traders and executives was announced, hedge fund GLG Partners has begun hiring new experts to fill in the gap.
Experts such as as Galia Velimukhametova, Fabrice Bay, and most recently Driss Ben-Brahim, a star Goldman Sachs emerging markets trader. He is to manage and hopefuly expand GLG’s $1.2 billion special situations portfolio.
Galia Velimukhametova is to join the hedge fund’s London office as a Portfolio Manager. With extensive background in the area, Galia will focus on distressed situations. Galia joins GLG from King Street Capital, where she was a Managing Director and Member of the European Investment Committee.
Fabrice Bay was previously a Managing Director at DWS/Deutsche Asset Management in Frankfurt, his significant experience in managing global long-only and 130/30 portfolios will play an important role in driving forward GLG’s offerings in these areas, according to GLG.
As of March 31, 2008, GLG has managed a net AUM (assets under management) of over $24.0 billion. GLG’s capital appreciation strategies target long-term capital appreciation through diversified portfolios of global equities and bonds.
Since its inception in 1995, GLG has built on the roots of its founders in the private wealth management industry to develop into one of the world’s largest and most recognized alternative investment managers, while maintaining its tradition of client-focused product development and customer service.
FINalternatives- Another pair of Citigroup fixed-income executives is to set up its own hedge fund shop.
Jeff Jacob and John Humphrey, who run the global special situations group they established at Citi four years ago, will leave the firm in about two months. Citi is splitting up their proprietary-trading desk, which focuses on distressed corporate bonds and loans, and restructuring the group to focus on customer trading. The move is just one of a variety of risk-cutting moves by Citi, which has taken some $43 billion in writedowns and losses resulting from the credit crisis.
Jacob and Humphrey, who came to Citi in 2004 from Merrill Lynch, will launch their distressed-debt hedge fund early next year. The fund will be seeded by Citi, although the terms of that investment are still being negotiated, though all of its current assets will remain with Citi.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) - New York-based Avenue Capital, the hedge fund that manages roughly $20 billion, is back after a lagging first quarter. The company informed investors that the fund experienced gains in May for the second straight month.
The firm’s $1.5 billion Avenue International Ltd Fund was up over 1.5% in May, while the $1 billion Avenue Europe International Ltd Fund and the $574 million Avenue Investments LP Fund followed suit and also posted gains.
Hedge funds are optimistic after experiencing losses stemming from last years credit crunch and subprime fallout. Improved performance in credit markets as of late are making the future look bright for hedge funds.
The Avenue Capital Group was founded in 1995 and is headed by famed manager Marc Lasry. The funds specialize in a long/short strategy while focuses on distressed and undervalued debt and equity opportunities. The company recently raised $6.1 billion for “special situations” trading strategies.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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Reuters- Distressed debt in emerging markets is now harder to find than in developed economies, asset manager Ashmore says, but its "special situations" funds see good growth in emerging private equity.
Ashmore’s Global Special Situations Funds started a decade ago picking up distressed corporate debt in developing economies and helping companies achieve profitable returns — but now that market barely exists.