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.
Wall Street Journal – Some of the billions of dollars that the U.S. government paid to bail out American International Group Inc. stand to benefit hedge funds that bet on a falling housing market, according to people familiar with the matter and documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
The documents show how Wall Street banks were middlemen in trades with hedge funds and AIG that left the giant insurer holding the bag on billions of dollars of assets tied to souring mortgages. AIG has put in escrow some money for at least one major bank, Deutsche Bank AG, whose hedge-fund clients made bets against the housing market, according to a person familiar with the matter. The money will be released to the bank if mortgage defaults rise above a certain level.
In essence, while the U.S. government is busy trying to prop up the housing market — by trying to limit foreclosures, among other things — it is simultaneously putting up cash that could be used to pay off investors who bet housing prices would tumble and many mortgage holders would default.
It’s unclear how much government money might eventually flow to hedge-fund investors. Overall, the government has committed up to $173.3 billion to bail out AIG. Of that amount, AIG’s housing-related bets have cost U.S. taxpayers some $52 billion.
Bloomberg – Paolo Pellegrini, the hedge-fund manager who helped Paulson & Co. make more than $3 billion in 2007 on bets the U.S. housing bubble would burst, resigned to start his own fund, a person familiar with the matter said.
Pellegrini, 52, a manager of Paulson’s credit opportunities funds, left on Dec. 31 in an “amicable” departure, said Armel Leslie, a spokesman for New York-based Paulson & Co. John Paulson, founder of the firm, which oversees $36 billion, couldn’t be reached for comment.
Paulson and Pellegrini became convinced in 2006 that investors were overvaluing mortgage-backed securities whose risk for losses they or credit rating firms had misjudged, according to client letters obtained by Bloomberg News. The firm’s credit opportunities funds soared about sixfold in 2007 as mortgage defaults rose and the value of the securities declined.
CNNMoney.com – Dow Jones & Co. has suspended the publication of two hedge-fund benchmarks and the Dow Jones Hedge Fund Balanced Portfolio Index that incorporates them, saying that the underlying hedge funds have been deleveraging in an effort to reduce the risk to their investors.
Suspended are the Dow Jones Hedge Fund Equity Long/Short and Equity Market Neutral Strategy benchmarks. The 5-year-old benchmarks, and four others like them, measure individual hedge-fund strategies. Combined, the six make up the Dow Jones Hedge Fund Balanced Portfolio Index.
The request for the hedge funds to deleverage was made by Lyra Capital LLC. Lyra Capital is an investment manager and unit of Credit Agricole Structured Asset Management S.A. Lyra "provides the methodology programs used" in the Dow Jones Hedge Fund Strategy Benchmarks, the company’s Web site says.
Hedge Funds Review Magazine – Troubled Swiss-based alternative asset management group Gottex Fund Management Holdings said assets under management (AUM) were down over $2 billion to $13.5 billion at September 30, 2008, compared with $15.6 billion at June 30, 2008. The fall represented a 13.6% decrease.
The fall was mainly caused by “negative performance in extremely challenging markets”, according to a company statement on third quarter trading. The poor performance was despite Gottex’s market neutral and directional products performing better than or in-line with the broader market indices and relevant hedge fund benchmarks.
AUM change across Gottex strategies during the quarter 2008 included declines in market neutral and directional strategies (-13.1%), asset based strategies (-15.8%), advisory mandates (-15.2%) and enhanced index strategies (-3.2%).
CNBC – Given the troubles in the market, we’re all worried about losing a chunk of our savings, whether it’s wrapped up in mutual funds, hedge funds or individual stocks. But how do you know when to bail on your fund (or fund manager) instead of just sticking out the volatility? Carmen offered some guidelines on Wednesday for distressed investors wondering when’s the right time to get out.
If you’re invested in a mutual fund, you’re probably seeing losses across the board. It’s important to look at the fund relative to other benchmarks, though, not just how it is performing against the Dow Industrials. If your fund has lost 10% or more relative to rival funds, Carmen suggested it might be time to pull the plug.
For hedge funds, be aware that it takes more time to redeem your investments. Do a gut check, Carmen said. If you feel uneasy about how your money is performing, that’s a sign. Trust your instincts as well as the overall performance of the fund.
