Join us and our panel of experts for HFMWeek's Subscribers'…
Once bitten, twice shy. Investors who attempted to withdraw capital from their respective hedge fund managers at the peak of the financial crisis, only to find that they were not able to do so, have understandably become zealously anti-gates and lock-ups.
For the best funds of hedge funds (FoHFs), patience has proved to be a virtue. Too many of these businesses – those that didn’t employ gates after 2008, or had the due diligence chops to exclude a Petters or Madoff from their portfolios – have spent the last three years in stasis as investors gave them a wide berth.
"Fatca is not just another tax issue that affects aspects of compliance. Instead, it affects the whole value chain and requires completely new and extended information and reporting systems"
Pre-2008, it was simple. A significant portion of institutional investors looked longingly at hedge fund returns but were put off by the assumed risks involved. Hedge funds returned the glance with interest, gazing at the assets on offer, but decided the operational rigours involved – together with their already ballooning AuMs – were not worth the effort.
"Branding is about identity and what a firm stands for and should be the foundation of any communication with audiences"
‘We are all in the business of transparency’, has become an industry mantra. A facetious, investor may well respond, ‘yes, but what happened to the business of performance?’ However, for investors, managers and service providers, performance and transparency are crucially linked.
"While external pressures have required significant focus in recent years, the strength and depth of the Cayman industry remains of critical importance to Aima and its membership"
After a period of mistrust, or just misunderstanding, pension funds have now come round to the abilities of CTAs.
While diversification remains crucial, interest will stay at a constant. But, how investors opt to access these managers is more fluid – with the funds of funds route slowly giving way to direct investment, a trend that many managers are hoping to tap, via the Ucits III space.
Small words are still creating big problems for managers. In fact, a selection of acronyms and abbreviations – Fin48, Fbar, Fatca, Form PF, ADV I and II, not to mention AIFM – remain the biggest headache in a year that many have predicted, at least in terms of launches and investor interest, will be a positive one.
"The alternative fund arena is quickly evolving, with new regulations, fund managers’ needs, investors’ demands and service providers’ tools"
29/02/2012
Join us and our panel of experts for HFMWeek's Subscribers' Club February's UK breakfast briefing…
29/02/2012
The next US HFMWeek Subscribers' Club breakfast, will take place on Wednesday February 29. Join…
02/02/2011
HFMWeek's European Hedge Fund Services Awards are designed to recognise companies that have outperformed...
