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.
Bloomberg – Helios Capital Management Pte, the hedge-fund manager once backed by Tudor Investment Corp., plans to start a “Slumdog Millionaire” fund that will buy underperforming shares of Indian companies.
“We want to find slumdogs from the Indian equity markets who have the potential of becoming millionaires,” Samir Arora, founder of Singapore-based Helios Capital, said in an interview.
The firm plans to raise about $50 million by the end of July for its long-only Helios India Jai Ho Fund, Arora said. “Jai Ho,” which means “victory” in Hindi, is the Oscar- winning theme song from “Slumdog Millionaire,” a feel-good tale of a Mumbai orphan’s escape from poverty that scooped eight Academy Awards, including best picture, this year in Los Angeles.
New York (HedgeCo.Net) - After handing AIG another $30 billion in taxpayer-funded, government bailout funds, U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke defended the decision, with the worn-out argument that the insurer’s failure may trigger an economic domino effect.
“We know that failure of major financial firms in a financial crisis can be disastrous for the economy,” Bernanke said in a testimony to the senate Budget Committee on Tuesday. “We really had no choice.”
So far, the government has come to AIG’s rescue four different times, pumping over $160 billion into the insurance giant. In an attempt to appease furious lawmakers who disagree with the latest handout, Bernanke said, "If there’s a single episode in this entire 18 months that has made me more angry, I can’t think of one (other than) AIG."
AIG reported an industry wide record $61.7 billion quarterly loss this week, attributing that to losses on their credit default swaps; worthless pieces of paper that “guarantee” mortgage-backed securities. AIG sold these credit default swaps, which supposedly insured about $440 billion in bonds. In reality, AIG did not have the funds to cover these investments. When the securities inevitably plummeted in value, AIG couldn’t cover what they promised. Unfortunately, credit default swaps, which were invented in the late 90’s by several employees at J.P. Morgan Chase as a means to make quick cash, are not regulated by the U.S. government.
Many feel AIG has acted irresponsible, and that no amount of government funds will turn the poorly run business around. AIG even “cleverly attached a hedge fund to their insurance company, taking advantage of a gap in federal and state oversight,” Bernanke added.
In exchange for the funds, the government will receive $26 billion in preferred stock in two AIG subsidiaries – American Life Insurance Co. and American International Assurance Co. AIG will not have to pay interest on the outstanding loan.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@hedgeco.net
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New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Spanish bank Santander is seeking to freeze redemptions after stating on Monday that they currently lack the liquidity to meet the rising demands for withdrawals. Investors in the bank’s flagsihip real-estate fund, the Santander Banif Inmobiliario FII, moved to withdraw 80 percent, or $3.3 billion, of the fund’s capital at the end of January according to a regulatory filing yesterday.
Santander stated that investors would receive 10 percent up front of their redemption claims, to be followed by 10 percent increments whenever they could meet those demands. If they are still short on cash, they would inject capital themselves, they added.
The bank is hoping to put a halt on full capital withdrawals for the next two years so they may start an “orderly program of disposals.” They added that if they could not fulfill requests at the end of that period, they would wind down the fund.
The fund suffered losses last year after dropping 15 percent at the start of the fourth quarter after market conditions in residential real estate rentals took a turn for the worse. 67 percent of the fund’s assets were invested in real estate.
Some experts worry that the influx of demands at Santander may spark a domino effect with other Spanish funds invested in real estate, which considering their illiquidity, could pose a major a problem.
Santander has had their share of obstacles recently, including a massive 2.33 billion euro exposure to Bernard Madoff through their Optimal Investment Fund. Shares closed down 4 percent yesterday to 5.49 euros.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Halliburton and KBR, Inc. have settled with the Securities and Exchange Commission after allegations that KBR subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root illegally obtained construction contracts in Nigeria by bribing government officials.
KBR and Halliburton will pay $177 to settle the charges brought on by the SEC. In addition, Kellogg Brown & Root has pled guilty to criminal charges brought forth by the U.S. Department of Justice. Those charges include one count of conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and four counts of violating the anti-bribery provisions of the FCPA. Kellogg Brown & Root has agreed to pay $402 million to settle these charges in addition to succumbing to stricter oversight.
"Today’s guilty plea by KBR ends one chapter in the Department’s long-running investigation of corruption in the award of $6 billion in construction contracts in Nigeria,” said Assistant Attorney General Rita M. Glavin of the Department of Justice. “This bribery scheme involved both senior foreign government officials and KBR corporate executives who took actions to insulate themselves from the reach of U.S. law enforcement.”
The complaint alleged that Halliburton, who was the parent company of KBR at the time, failed to detect or prevent the bribes. The KBR companies reportedly set up fake contracts with agents in the United Kingdom and Japan to launder the money to the Nigerian officials, after deciding it was necessary to use bribery in 1994. The payoffs took place for the next 10 years. Halliburton failed to perform adequate due diligence on the false agents, and as a result, their records contained false information about the payments.
Total bribes to Nigerian officials totaled $180 million. Albert “Jack” Stanley, one-time KBR CEO under former Halliburton head Dick Cheney, pleaded guilty to bribery charges in September after it was discovered he met with high-ranking Nigerian officials at least four times to make payments in exchange for the construction contracts. Stanley faces seven years in prison and fines totaling almost $11 million.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – It doesn’t help matters when a company, who is at the forefront of a government bailout, is expected to provide rescue to another faltering company. But that’s exactly what General Motors has found themselves in the middle of, as Delphi is again turning to their former parent company for assistance.
GM is in talks to buy back some parts of the Troy, Michigan-based auto parts supplier, including some unprofitable plants. While this may help Delphi achieve the exit refinancing that they need to emerge from Chapter 11, it certainly doesn’t make things easy on GM, who is already set to receive over $13 billion in government aid. However, some believe that Delphi’s dependence could help GM’s case in requesting more federal funds.
Since Delphi filed for bankruptcy protection in October 2005, they have faced a string of disappointments in trying to secure the needed capital. A $6.1 billion refinancing plan, led by hedge fund Appaloosa Management, was supposed to provide the influx of capital. GM had also promised a $2 billion chunk of the puzzle to ensure Delphi met the minimum requirements. When the hedge fund backed out of the deal at the last minute, Delphi was left without an alternative.
GM has agreed to advance up to $100 million this month to Delphi, to keep the company running for the next few months. Delphi has until Feb 27th to restructure its exit plan, including an amended budget with payouts to creditors and how they plan on becoming profitable following the exit of Chapter 11 protection. They have also requested that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court allow them to halt their retiree medical benefits.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Wachovia customers who invested in auction rate securities prior to their collapse will most likely get their money back. The SEC announced a settlement yesterday with Wachovia Securities that will provide $7 billion in liquidity to those clients, which resolves the agency’s original charges that the bank misled investors about the risks associated with ARS.
"The goal of the SEC in these matters was to return as much liquidity to investors as quickly as possible, while at the same time avoiding further disruption in the financial markets. Today’s final settlement with Wachovia represents substantial progress toward fulfilling that goal,” said Linda Chatman Thomsen, Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement.
The original SEC complaint alleged that Wachovia peddled ARS to clients, while representing them as safe, highly liquid investments, much like cash or money market instruments. In addition, the agency charges that the bank became aware of the mounting risks associated with these investments, yet continued to market them as safe. When the ARS market plummeted, thousands of clients were left with billions of dollars of illiquid investments.
"Wachovia did not ensure that its sales force understood the ARS products it was selling. As a result, Wachovia’s customers were not adequately informed of the nature and risks associated with ARS and were caught holding illiquid securities when the ARS market froze," explained Merri Jo Gillette, Director of the SEC’s Chicago Regional Office.
The settlement has several facets, including buying back ARS from investors who purchased them on or before February 13, 2008. For more information on the matter, or for buyback eligibility, the SEC suggests you contact Wachovia directly at 1-866-283-7943.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – As the Obama administration prepares to distribute the remaining $350 billion in the Troubled Asset Relief Program, a new requirement will ensure that the salaries of top executives be capped at $500,000 a year.
“For top executives to award themselves these kinds of compensation packages in the midst of this economic crisis is not only in bad taste, it’s a bad strategy, and I will not tolerate it as president,” Obama said at a White House press conference.
While last year saw a handful of top financial organizations crumble amidst record write downs and unsustainable losses, companies continued to dole out bonuses to those in high positions. Even as the first half of the TARP funds were distributed by the Bush administration, the public demanded transparency for fear that taxpayer money was being used to pad the paychecks of the ultra wealthy; the individuals whose greed was no doubt responsible for the financial meltdown in the first place. It was estimated that the banks receiving bailouts paid their top officials $1.6 billion in salaries and bonuses last year, according to the Associated Press.
Merrill Lynch CEO John Thain took home a record $83 million in 2008, despite taking $10 billion of taxpayer-funded government aid to keep his company afloat. Lloyd Blankfein, CEO of Goldman Sachs, pocketed $54 million while the company shelled out $242 million to their top five execs. Jamie Dimon of JPMorgan Chase, on the other hand, pocketed a mere $1 million while forgoing any bonus.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner was also on board with the new plan, saying that our economic woes were “made worse by a loss in faith,” referring to the gluttony of these top execs. While the plan cannot retroactively take back bonuses that were awarded with the first half of the TARP funds, provisions will likely be set in place that can reclaim compensation from senior executives if they are discovered engaging in any fraudulent practices.
In addition to outlining the plan, Obama urged Congress to finalize the economic stimulus legislation, saying that any delays “will turn crisis into a catastrophe and guarantee a longer recession.”
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – Daniel Och, CEO of New York-based hedge fund Och-Ziff Capital Management, is showing his confidence in his company, racking up another 1.6 million shares.
Och shelled out about $7 million between November 13 and February 2, at prices ranging from $3.89 to $4.98 a share according to the most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Och-Ziff, who is one of just a few hedge funds that is traded on the market, went public in November 2007, with their IPO going for $32 a share. The financial turmoil of 2008 caused their stock prices to plummet 80 percent as their hedge funds posted record losses.
However, gains in January have investors talking about a comeback. The company’s OZ Master Fund posted returns of 3.12 percent while their other three hedge funds also enjoyed positive returns.
Och-Ziff regularly files performance reports with the U.S. SEC because they are a publically traded company. Most hedge funds are not required to do so. However, a recent push for greater transparency in the troubled industry has caused many individuals in Washington to act. If a proposed plan brought on by two U.S. Senators gets approved, all hedge funds will be required to register with the SEC.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
New York (HedgeCo.Net) – After a year when most hedge funds grudgingly reported month after month of losses, Och-Ziff Capital Management was happy to showcase their gains for January in a recent regulatory filing.
The New York-based hedge fund reported positive returns for all four of their funds, sending share prices up and giving investors a jolt of confidence.
The OZ Master Fund saw gains of 3.12 percent while the Asia Master Fund returned 2.49 percent. Also following suit was the Europe Master Fund, which rose 1.05 percent and the Global Special Investments Master Fund which posted returns of 0.84 percent.
Another positive note was the rise in assets under management. Och-Ziff, who once managed nearly $34 billion, took a large hit last year along with many hedge funds. With the economic turmoil and investors pulling out approximately $5 billion in a rush for redemptions, assets under management fell to just over $21 billion in late 2008. According to the filing, that number is steadily climbing, up to $22.3 billion.
Och-Ziff, who unlike most hedge funds is a publically traded company, saw their share prices rally amidst the news. Shares closed yesterday at $5.31, up 3.91 percent.
Julie Scuderi Senior Editor for HedgeCo.Net Email: julie@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! Be sure to check out our sister sites. www.hedgefundlounge.com, www.hedgefundtools.com, and www.hedgefundemployment.com
