The Industrial Price Index (IP) has reported the strongest growth since the week ending August 1, 2008, shortly before the onset of a steep decline in world financial markets. It registered an 11.9% improvement over its average in 52 weeks to the end of July Read more...
Och-Ziff Capital Management Group has reported assets under management (AUM) of $20.7 billion at July 1, 2009, 2% higher than as of April 1, 2009 and 38% lower at the same time in 2008. In its second quarter report, year-to-date net returns through June 30, 2009 of the OZ Master Fund were 12.3%, the OZ Europe Master Fund were 7.0%, the OZ Asia Master Fund were 13.2% and the OZ Global Special Investments Master Fund were 3.6% Read more...
The S&P GSCI rose a slight 0.44% in July on the heels of a strong monthly performance by the industrial metals sector. The S&P GSCI Industrial Metals Index gained a healthy 15.8% in July and has now returned 49.51% for the year. The S&P GSCI is up 7.03% year-to-date. Read more...
Weather Risk Solutions (WRS) has opened trading for the 2009 hurricane season in hurricane risk landfall options (HuRLOs). These instruments are designed to allow eligible investors and businesses to hedge against the financial risks of hurricane landfalls. Read more...
Despite ending the second quarter on a positive note, Hedge fund strategy performance retreated in June as global markets moved sideways. Easing from the highest monthly performance since February 2000 posted in May, the Credit Suisse/Tremont Broad Hedge Fund Index fell in June to 0.43% for a fourth consecutive month of positive returns. Read more...
Fund administrators are reeling from a $1,347 billion fall in total alternative assets under management. Combined alternative assets of hedge funds and fund of funds under management (AUM), plummeted to $2,496 billion at the end the first quarter of 2009, a 12-month decline of 37.25% from $3,821 billion in the first quarter of 2008. Read more...
The average management fee currently for hedge funds now stands at 1.63% with an average performance fee of 17.21%. However, seven out of 10 hedge funds still maintain a performance fee of 20%. This shows investors are still willing to reward alpha generated by top hedge fund managers. Read more...
RWC Partners has hired a number of people to work with Mike Corcell on its US long short funds. The RWC Biltmore and RWC US Absolute Alpha are US equity long short funds planned for launch in October 2009. The team joining Corcell will be Gabe Marshank, Alex Robarts, Sam Weeman and trader Hayes Varey. Marshank will be partnering with Corcell who he has known for over five years. He spent seven years at SAC Capital, where he was a senior analyst working closely with Steve Cohen. Marshank and Corcell will work with Marshank who is responsible for the analysts while Corcell is responsible for portfolio management. Robarts worked with Corcell for over four years as an analyst on the Threadneedle American Crescendo Fund. Weeman was number two in the global tobacco team at JPMorgan Investment Bank. The team will launch a Cayman long short fund, RWC Biltmore, and a parallel Ucits fund, RWC US Absolute Alpha, in the autumn. Both funds will be managed along the same lines as Corcell's Threadneedle American Crescendo fund. Read more...
Merlin Securities and Gerson Lehrman Group have formed research partnership that could help smaller hedge funds with research needed to carry out strategies. Under the deal Merlin will provide emerging managers with access to Gerson Lehrman Group's network of over 200,000 experts. Read more...
One of the most controversial and problematic issues associated with the impending regulatory overhaul of alternative investment management has been in the area of valuation - both at the individual asset and portfolio level. This is particularly important in the area of illiquid and/or hard to value instruments. Read more...
