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.
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.
Star Tribune- Minneapolis Star Tribune- A terrible year for financial stocks isn’t keeping Ameriprise Financial Inc. from growing. The Minneapolis-based financial planning and insurance company announced Monday that it will acquire the asset management firm J&W Seligman & Co. Inc. for $440 million.
Seligman, based in New York, manages an $18 billion portfolio of mutual funds, closed-end funds, hedge funds and institutional accounts.
Ameriprise financed the deal with cash on hand; it had $3.8 billion in cash as of December. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter and will add to earnings and return on equity in 2009, Ameriprise said.
Reuters India- U.S. firm Morningstar Inc will expand its investment research coverage to Indian funds by early next year and hopes to hire 10-20 staff by March, a senior executive said on Monday.
Morningstar, founded by its Chairman and Chief Executive Joe Mansueto in his Chicago apartment in 1984, has made a name for itself by rating mutual funds, hedge funds and stocks and is popular for its star system of rating fund performance.
"India represents a very important investment area worldwide. So we need to be here not only to serve the Indian market but for the global investment community," Jaideep Vivekanand, director of business development for India at Morningstar Asia Ltd, said.
Baltimore Sun- The price of Cadbury PLC’s Caramello candy bar is up 10 percent over the past 12 months, raising a sticky question: Are hedge funds to blame?
Soaring cocoa prices are driving up the cost of chocolate around the world. The chocolate industry points its finger at speculative buying by professional investors, especially hedge funds.
Hedge funds have been accused of many things over the years, including almost bankrupting countries (the 1997 Asian currency crisis), triggering a run on the pound ( George Soros in 1992), threatening the integrity of the U.S. financial system (Long-Term Capital Management in 1998) and fraud (Bayou Management LLC in 2005). This is their first fight with chocolatiers.
