Monthly Archives: January 2009

G30 says broken financial system badly needs repair

Reuters – The G30, a group of high-profile economists and policy-makers, on Thursday called for changes in international financial regulation to help avoid future meltdowns, but its recommendations were vague and non-binding. In findings that made no reference to the […]

Senate Gives Obama Victory, Allows Distribution of $350 Billion in TARP

New York (HedgeCo.Net) – President-elect Barack Obama has been granted permission to dole out the second half of the $700 billion in the Troubled Asset Relief Program, after a vote of confidence from the Senate.  They shot down a resolution […]

Four in hedge fund sting convicted

Newsday – Maybe you heard the one about the phony multibillion-dollar Long Island hedge fund that was actually performing a public service. No? Well, apparently neither did four confidence men, according to federal prosecutors. The four were convicted yesterday in […]

ACF, Bank of America Sue Hedge Fund Steel Partners

CNNMoney.com – ACF Industries and Bank of America Corp. (BAC) are suing hedge fund Steel Partners, accusing the fund of fraud by failing to tell investors of plans to go public, Reuters reported Wednesday. Reuters says ACF, which court documents […]

Apple’s Jobs takes medical leave, shares tumble

Yahoo News – Apple Inc chief and tech visionary Steve Jobs will take a leave of absence till end-June because of health problems "more complex" than thought, backtracking on reassurances, stunning investors and sending its shares skidding 10 percent on Wednesday. […]

Shapiro a Madoff Victim

HorseRaceInsider.com – Richard Shapiro, former chairman of the Califorinia Horse Racing Board, has been "devastated" financially by the $50-billion Ponzi scheme that was engineered by Bernard Madoff, according to a letter that Shapiro wrote to a U.S. Congressman. "Nearly all […]

Grace period for Himes doesn’t last long

Connecticut Post – It was with amusement that I read that freshman U.S. Rep. Jim Himes, D-4, will now be a member of the House Financial Services Committee. Why? Because of his expertise? Does anyone realize that he was trained […]

Israel Girlfriend Pleads Not Guilty to Aiding Escape

Bloomberg – Debra Ryan, the girlfriend of Samuel Israel, the convicted founder of hedge-fund firm Bayou Group LLC charged with bail jumping, pleaded not guilty to helping him escape. Israel, 49, is accused of faking his suicide and fleeing the day […]

Hedge funds ‘encourage bankruptcies’ for profit

Guardian.co.uk – "Parts of the current complexity arises from the existence of distressed debt investors who sometimes see commercial advantage from using an insolvency process to organise the sale of the viable part of a business to a solvent buyer […]

December investor survey finds managment fees too high

West Palm Beach (HedgeCo.net) – When surveyed about what they think about fee levels and value for money offered by investment managers, investors believe that managment fees are too high. Two surveys were conducted by bfinance in December, questioning institutional […]

Hedge Fund Portfolio Tracking: SAC Capital

Seekingalpha.com – Since inception, its funds have returned on average 40% annually, which explains how they can charge a 50% performance fee to investors, compared to the normal 20% that most hedge funds charge. They are very active traders and […]

Asia hedge funds face another rough ride in 2009

Reuters – Asia-focused funds suffered their worst ever year in 2008, underperforming their peers in the West, as markets cratered and investors demanded their money back. This year will be marked by consolidation around more established players and a more […]