The previous post about bear market funds and the difficulties they have faced during the current spectacular US bull market fascinated me. My central point of interest is based around the question – why would you bother? There are a few conflicting points that come to mind. Markets in general have strong upward bias. However,…
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Abstract Using a novel data set of hedge fund manager automobile purchases, we show that, motivated by sensation seeking, hedge fund managers often take risk for personal and non-pecuniary reasons. In line with the sensation seeking view, managers who own powerful sports cars take on more investment risk but do not deliver higher returns, resulting…
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I caught a piece in Bloomberg this morning that had FX traders lamenting the lack of volatility in FX markets this year and using that as an excuse for their lack of profitability. Upon seeing this I thought to myself that this sounds awfully familiar amd it does – it is the classic I dont…
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Over the past 20 years, hedge funds have gained almost mythic status. Loved and loathed, they are held to be sharply distinct from the broader asset management industry. The fortunes of the best-known firms are followed with great interest. There is nothing that definitively marks hedge fund managers apart from other investment managers, however. Instead,…
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I caught a news snippet on the radio on the way back from the gym and the way they were talking it sounded as if all domestic banks had dropped to zero, shut up shop and someone had come around and kicked the MD’s puppy to death. Doesnt look like it according to the reality…
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Apparently the name a hedge fund gives itself has a direct bearing on both the inflow of capital and by extension the level of fees they generate from those inflows. It seems that having a name that lends gravitas and sounds somewhat regal (wanky) adds some $250,000 to the inflows. But funds with such names generate lower…
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Investing is hard there is no doubt about that and being an amateur investor is even harder because you have to rely upon the supposed expertise of others. This lack of familiarity with the industry and its nuances combined with a dependence upon others makes life very difficult for those on the outside. However, this…
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