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 – President Barack Obama sent Congress his plan to rein in the $592 trillion over-the-counter derivatives industry, a measure that would cut into a profitable market for banks led by Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co.
The proposal issued yesterday would pressure derivatives users such as banks and hedge funds to move away from opaque customized contracts by imposing higher capital and margin requirements on the instruments. Standardized derivatives would be moved to regulated exchanges or trading platforms and sent through official clearinghouses, according to the draft measure.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel – Five years after regulators forced the sale of Strong Funds to Wells Fargo and Co. at the height of a national mutual fund scandal, investors in 24 former Strong Funds are moving closer to receiving their share of a $154 million settlement.
A proposal for doling out the money was developed by an independent consultant and has been published on the Securities and Exchange Commission Web site.
The proposal, which awaits SEC approval, would give priority to reimbursing investors in 24 Strong funds whose losses were related to ”frequent trading.” Frequent traders often aim to take advantage of differences between the share price of a fund and the actual value of the securities it holds – a maneuver that can harm the interests of long-term shareholders.
istockAnalyst.com – The Securities and Exchange Commission unanimously endorsed the proposal amid widening investigations of so-called pay-to-play donations by private equity and hedge fund executives who jockey for lucrative fees to manage some of the more than $2.2 trillion in assets held by public pension funds.
"The selection of investment advisers to manage public plans should be based on merit and the best interests of the plans and their beneficiaries, not the payment of kickbacks or political favors," SEC Chair Mary Schapiro says.
CNBC – The Obama administration has sent legislation to Congress that would bring hedge funds and other private pools of capital under government supervision.
The proposal calls for the Securities and Exchange Commission to oversee hedge, private equity and venture capital funds. By registering with the SEC, their books would be open to federal inspection and they would be subject to disclosure requirements to investors and creditors.
SmartBrief – Britain and Sweden, which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency on 1 July, agreed to work together to explain to other European nations the value of private-equity firms and hedge funds. The UK is concerned that one proposal could force hedge funds away from London.
Reuters – UK asset manager Bramdean Alternatives named Petersfield Asset Management Limited on Tuesday, as the bidder to rival the proposal by property tycoon Vincent Tchenguiz’s investment vehicle, Elsina, to oust its current board.
Bramdean said in a statement that Petersfield Asset Management Limited, is beneficially owned by Nicola Horlick, who founded Bramdean Alternatives in 2005.
Stamford Advocate – Although it had bipartisan support, a bill requiring hedge funds operating in Connecticut to disclose conflicts of interest to investors died in the House of Representatives Wednesday, the final day of the 2009 legislative session.
"It ‘blew up’ like Amaranth, like Bayou," said state Rep. Ryan Barry, D-Manchester, who co-sponsored the proposal with Sen. Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, co-sponsored the legislation.
Barry was referring to the high-profile collapses of the Stamford-based Bayou Group LLC in 2005 and Greenwich-based Amaranth Advisors LLC in 2006, which inspired him and Duff, as Banks Committee chairmen, to pursue hedge fund regulations.
Bloomberg – Hedge fund manager George Schultze says he may avoid lending to any more unionized companies after being burned by President Barack Obama in Chrysler LLC’s bankruptcy.
Obama put Chrysler under court protection on April 30 after lenders balked at a proposal giving them about 29 cents on the dollar for their $6.9 billion in debt. The investors said the president’s plan favored a union retiree medical fund whose claims ranked behind them for repayment. It was offered a 55 percent equity stake in the automaker.
Reuters – Hospice-care provider Chemed Corp, which also offers plumbing services under the Roto-Rooter brand, is urging shareholders to reject a hedge fund’s proposal to nominate five dissident directors to Chemed’s board.
Chemed has asked shareholders to discard proxy cards sent by MMI Investments LP, a New York hedge fund, and instead vote for the board’s nominees.
"MMI has one, and only one, idea for your company: to separate immediately Chemed’s businesses – VITAS and Roto-Rooter," Chemed said in a letter on Wednesday.
EurActiv.com – A draft EU proposal to regulate hedge funds and private equity, due to be unveiled next week, was criticised for being too weak by Socialist leaders, who branded the text a "major political mistake" ahead of European elections in June.
The main issue raised by the Socialists was that the proposed regulation will only apply to fund managers, rather than to the funds themselves, creating a loophole in the system.
Reuters – European Union proposals for the regulation of hedge funds should go further in forcing them to use more of their own capital and reflect risks on their books, German Finance Minister Peer Steinbrueck told a newspaper.
"The EU proposal contains good ideas, but it doesn’t go far enough," Steinbrueck told the taz newspaper in an interview. "I want to force the funds to use more of their own money when doing business and to keep risks on their books."
Associated Press – The Obama administration’s latest plan to help banks get credit flowing again is drawing a tepid reaction from investors and academics, who say the proposal comes with too many strings attached and is unlikely to stimulate lending industrywide.
And even if banks are willing to start lending more money, they wonder if many people will be able to take on more credit until the economy gets going again.
"We went on a borrowing binge," said Hugh Johnson, chairman and chief investment officer of Johnson Illington Advisors. "Debt levels, especially in households, are too high or unmanageable."
