General News

	David Stevenson: The alternative credit space	Aug 05/09
	I’ve mentioned in my column before that I sense one of the biggest opportunities over the next few years will be in the alternative credit space – smaller, nimbler firms moving into the commercial lending space vacated by the b...Read more
	OMERS appoints new CIO	Aug 05/09
	He has headed the real estate division since 2004. He has also served as CEO and a trustee of the Primaris REIT since 2003 and led its initial public offering of equity and debt. Under his leadership, Oxford Properties has grow...Read more
	*Hedge Fund Buys Big Into ETrade**	Aug 04/09
	ONLINE-FINANCIAL-SERVICES COMPANY E*Trade Financial (ticker: ETFC) has seen egregious losses during the recession, as the stock has fallen from the high $20s in 2006 to below a dollar this year on its subprime exposure. But on...Read more
	Hedge funds hold the line on fees	Aug 04/09
	As the losses and shutdowns piled up for hedge funds throughout 2008, many thought that it was a sure bet that the industry would have to lower its fee structure to ride out the tidal wave of withdrawals. But apparently it was ...Read more
	Signs of Life	Aug 04/09
	Optimism reigned throughout the second quarter as investor sentiment thawed and many investors began reallocating capital to alternative funds across the spectrum, according to Brighton House Associates, a firm based in Marlbor...Read more
	Hedge Fund Demand: Brighton House Associates Q2 2009 Report	Aug 04/09
	HedgeCo.net (West Palm Beach) - During the first quarter, most alternative investors spent their time rebalancing their portfolios, redeeming with current managers, and waiting for the market to correct itself. This process fre...Read more
	Man Group to launch AHL strategy into retail market	Aug 04/09
	Hedge fund giant Man Investments is to launch its popular AHL managed futures trading strategy into the retail market. The fund, which is planned for launch on 1 October, will be domiciled in the UK and employ Ucits III powe...Read more
	George Soros snaps up GLG hedgefund star Robert Donald	Aug 04/09
	GLG Partners, the London-based hedge fund, is on the point of losing a star fund manager this weekend in a situation that mirrors the high-profile departure of another top manager, Greg Coffey, last year. Robert Donald, who man...Read more
	Ex-BDO Seidman’s Mark Bloom Pleads Guilty in Hedge Fund Fraud	Jul 31/09
	Hedge fund manager Mark Bloom pleaded guilty to U.S. charges that he stole at least $20 million from clients and lied to them, and that he helped sell illegal tax shelters while working earlier at BDO Seidman LLP. Bloom, who...Read more
	Hedge fund rebels aim to oust Strategic Equity Capital bosses	Jul 31/09
	• Fortelus says SVG-managed trust is underperforming • SEC argues that plan to by 3i fund offers good value Hedge fund Fortelus and other investors are preparing to oust the management of a publicly liste...Read more
	Film Company Blowtorch Burned By Hedge Fund Flame-Out	Jul 31/09
	Blowtorch Entertainment Corp., the start-up that gathered $50 million to produce a slate of feature films and short-film content for young adults, is nearly extinguished after several of its hedge fund investors went out of ...Read more
	Gold flashes brightly for US hedge funds	Jul 31/09
	US hedge fund managers are buying gold anticipating that prices will be boosted by the effects of European governments' quantitative easing (QE) program...Read more
	Changing Attitudes Towards Risk	Jul 31/09
	"Attitudes towards hedge fund risk are poised to change," Sara Grillo, Founder of the Coalition for Safer Hedge Funds said in a paper examining proposed improvements in risk measurement, "The evolution w...Read more
	Brazil’s Top Hedge Fund Says Real Rally Almost Over	Jul 30/09
	Most of the gains in Brazil’s currency and interest-rate futures markets this year are over, said Beny Parnes, chief strategist at BBM Gestao de Recursos Ltda., manager of Brazil’s top-performing hedge fund. BBM pared bac...Read more
	AIMA continues opposition to EU draft funds directive	Jul 30/09
	The European commission's draft directive on alternative investment fund managers is protectionist and could ban non-EU funds and managers from marketing and distribution within the 27-country group, warned Alternative Inves...Read more
	Mutual Funds that Invest in Hedge Funds	Jul 30/09
	Hedge funds are trying to get some retail capital. Achieving that via a mutual fund is one approach. From the NY Post: After making billions off the backs of rich people, a growing number of hedge funds are b...Read more
	RAB says clients returning to some hedge funds	Jul 29/09
	* Positive flows into single-strategy funds in Q2 and July * Assets fall to $1.3 bln from $1.9 bln at end-December * Swings to pretax loss for 6 months to June, shares fall * Interim dividend 0.6 pence * Plans capital ...Read more
	Brazil’s Polo Hedge Fund Boosts Bets on Homebuilders	Jul 29/09
	Marcos Duarte, co-founder of the $1 billion hedge fund Polo Capital Gestao de Fundos Ltda., is buying more Brazilian homebuilder shares even after the stocks more than doubled this year. Duarte said the Rio de Janeiro-ba...Read more
	GlobeOp enhances portfolio risk reporting	Jul 29/09
	GlobeOp is providing enhanced portfolio risk reporting to investors through GoBook, its online fund investor communications tool. The enhancement responds to increased investor demand for greater transparency about fund risk. ...Read more
	Hedge fund GLG looks to seed UK-listed oil producer	Jul 28/09
	GLG Partners (GLG.N), among the world's largest hedge-fund managers, is launching an oil production company that will be listed on the London Stock Exchange this fall, people familiar with the plans said on Monday. GLG, b...Read more
	Lansdowne halts investments in flagship fund-report	Jul 28/09
	Lansdowne Partners, one of Britain's largest hedge fund managers, has stopped accepting investments in its flagship fund with several other big funds set to follow suit, according to a report in the Financial Times. The rep...Read more
	Polygon raising money for new hedge funds	Jul 28/09
	* Raising money for European, convertibles funds * Winding down master fund's illiquid investments British hedge fund firm Polygon Investment Partners is looking to raise money for two new funds, a source close to the comp...Read more
	U.S. takes centre stage in EU hedge fund row	Jul 28/09
	* Hedge fund body AIMA says directive "protectionist" * Says rules will limit choice, hit competition * U.S. lobbying for changes to proposed rules Debate over controversial EU laws on hedge funds shifted to the...Read more
	Boom time for the poor man's hedge funds as small investors flock to new-style trusts Read more: ht	Jul 28/09
	Stock market euphoria returned last week with the FTSE 100 index of the country's leading companies recording its longest sustained bull run for five-and-a-half years. The last time the index recorded consecutive growth over ...Read more
	U.S. Enters Europe's Fund Debate	Jul 27/09
	Washington Joins U.K. in Lobbying EU for Less-Stringent Regulations As its hedge-fund and private-equity industries worry about new rules, the U.S. is quietly lobbying Europe to change the ...Read more
	Asian returns belie the global recession	Jul 27/09
	Hedge funds investing in Asia now appear to be one of the most popular alternative asset classes among the wealthy, with assets under management in the region expected to rise from $14bn in 2001 to $160bn by the end of the yea...Read more
	Castle Hall launches HedgeDiligence web portal	Jul 27/09
	Castle Hall Alternatives, a provider of operational due diligence, has launched HedgeDiligence, a web portal delivering due diligence information to the firm's clients. The firm has also reached the milestone of 500 operational...Read more
	Boom time for the poor man's hedge funds as small investors flock to new-style trusts	Jul 27/09
	Stock market euphoria returned last week with the FTSE 100 index of the country's leading companies recording its longest sustained bull run for five-and-a-half years. The last time the index recorded consecutive growth over te...Read more
	HSBC targets hedge fund clients with new team	Jul 24/09
	Europe's biggest bank HSBC Holdings (HSBA.L) has set up a new business targeting hedge funds and other fund managers offering prime services following the retreat by many rivals from the area. HSBC said on Wednesday it has ...Read more
	Neptune buys Man Group, sees M&A among fund firms	Jul 24/09
	Equity investors are too negative about the hedge fund industry, says Neptune's Jeremy Smith, who has recently bought shares in Man Group (EMG.L) and expects more consolidation among traditional fund firms. Smith, who manag...Read more
	Pension schemes seek to create own fund of funds	Jul 24/09
	Pension schemes are increasingly rejecting pre-selected fund of funds in favour of creating their own portfolios, as they look for direct control over their investments, said a senior investment consultant at Mercer. Tom Ge...Read more
	California Pension Fund Hopes Riskier Bets Will Restore Its Health	Jul 24/09
	Big as California’s budget woes are today, so are the problems lurking in its biggest pension fund. Hoping to Recover From a Bad Year Under Joseph A. Dear’s leadership, t...Read more
	The curious incident of hedge funds during the financial crisis	Jul 24/09
	“Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?” “To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time.” “The dog did nothing in the night-time.” “That was the curious incident,” from “Silver Blaze”...Read more
	Morningstar Reports Hedge Fund Performance for the Second Quarter 2009, Asset Flows Through May	Jul 24/09
	Morningstar, Inc. (NASDAQ: MORN), a leading provider of independent investment research, today reported preliminary hedge fund performance for the second quarter of 2009 and asset flows through May. For the quarter, th...Read more
	Geneva Funds of Funds Slump as Banks Struggle to Nullify Madoff	Jul 23/09
	Geneva banks, which began investing client money in funds of hedge funds during the 1960s, are struggling to rebuild the business after market losses and Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme cut assets by 72 percent. The assets of...Read more
	Ex-Man team backs Bayswater hedge fund relaunch	Jul 23/09
	Bayswater Asset Management, a computer-driven hedge fund shut down last year after big losses during the credit crisis, has relaunched after revamping its risk management controls, its new backers said on Wednesday. Sa...Read more
	Tokio Marine to Cut Hedge-Fund Investments This Year After Rout	Jul 23/09
	Tokio Marine Holdings Inc., Japan’s biggest casualty insurer, plans to trim hedge-fund investments and shift more of its portfolio in the industry to strategies such as macro and long-short equity funds. Tokio Marine...Read more
	GLG to launch long-only UK fund for hedge fund stars	Jul 23/09
	GLG is launching a long-only UK Equity fund for hedge fund stars John White and Jason MacKay. The fund will mirror the Dublin-domiciled GLG Select Equity fund that the duo has been running since 2006. It will a...Read more
	1H 2009 Hedge Fund Update: Halfway There - Report	Jul 23/09
	Six months after their worst drawdown on record, hedge funds appear to be demonstrating stronger performance than in some previous recovery periods, such as during the Asian Currency Crisis and the Tech Bubble Burst even...Read more
	Man puts money into 5:15 Capital’s flagship fund	Jul 23/09
	Man Investments has made a $50 million long-term investment in 5:15 Capital Management's flagship 5:15 Fund through its hedge fund ventures programme. 5:15 Capital Management is a Greenwich, Connecticut based asset ...Read more
	Shariah index shows strong returns in June	Jul 23/09
	Stocks complying with Islamic law delivered positive returns in the second quarter according to Standard & Poor's in the S&P Shariah Report. The S&P Global BMI Shariah Index produced returns of 18.93% to...Read more
	RBC index reports flat June performance	Jul 23/09
	The RBC Hedge 250 Index had a net return of 0.33% in June according to RBC Capital Markets. This brings the year-to-date return of the index to 10.72%. These returns are estimated and will be finalised by the middle of...Read more
	Defensively positioned long/short equity managers see profit in June	Jul 23/09
	Long/short equity managers who have maintained a cautious stance could be set to profit as markets shift from cyclicals (miners, energy stocks and consumer discretionary) to defensives (health care, utilities and consumer st...Read more
	CalPERS asset value drops over 23% year on year	Jul 23/09
	The California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) has released its preliminary 2008-09 investment performance, reporting a decline in the market value of its assets of 23.4% for the 12 months period ending June 30...Read more
	Northwater Market-Neutral Trust issues update on loss of qualfied investment status	Jul 23/09
	Northwater Market-Neutral Trust will no longer qualify as a “qualified investment” for registered accounts as of July 29, Northwater Capital Management Inc. said Wednesday. The Trust is a fund of hedge funds, units of which...Read more
	Perry hedge fund settles with SEC over Mylan stake	Jul 22/09
	Hedge fund firm Perry Corp will pay $150,000 to settle accusations that it failed to report a substantial stake in Mylan Inc (MYL.O), purchased to support a proposed 2004 takeover of King Pharmaceuticals (KG.N), the U.S. S...Read more
	Hedge Fund Accused Of Bogus Returns	Jul 22/09
	NIR Group's redemption struggle with its investors features strong accusations. A Long Island hedge fund known for making controversial deals in penny stocks continues ...Read more
	Hedge fund owner in Petters case denied bail	Jul 22/09
	The owner of a Chicago hedge fund charged with helping Tom Petters fund his $3.5 billion alleged Ponzi scheme was denied bail Tuesday, reversing a bail decision last week, according to media reports.Gregory Bell was sent ...Read more
	Hedging on Hedge Fund Scrutiny Fine With Court	Jul 22/09
	Let’s say you hand a million dollars or more to an investment advisory firm that boasts a sterling reputation, grand results and a promise to thoroughly investigate hedge funds before recommending them. For all the claims of...Read more
	Pickens' funds rake in 79% gain	Jul 22/09
	T Boone Pickens, the billionaire energy investor hit by losses and client redemptions in 2008, is raising money after his hedge funds gained as much as 79 percent this year, according to two people familiar with the matter. ...Read more