Globe and Mail – Hedge-fund manager Ben Shoval, wearing a green Thomas Pink shirt and a $1,600 Giorgio Armani suit, grabbed the microphone last week at New York’s Broadway Comedy Club to riff on his day job.<\/p>\n
The 31-year-old hedge fund manager started his stand-up career in January, taking as many as a dozen private and group lessons a month that have cost about $3,500, he says. By humbling himself before small groups at open-mike shows, Mr. Shoval said he hopes he’ll learn to perform at conferences and charity events. <\/p>\n
Hedge fund managers may need comic relief. The industry is composed of unregulated investment pools that typically charge 2 per cent in fees and reap 20 per cent of profits. Hedge funds suffered their worst first-half performance in almost two decades, according to Hedge Fund Research Inc.<\/p>\n
"When things are bad, particularly like they are now, we seem to be a good scapegoat for absolutely everything," Mr. Shoval said. "That’s what’s neat about the whole hedge fund manager routine that I’m doing, because there are so many misunderstandings."<\/p>\n