Disappearing World – EM Mandates in the Hedge Fund Industry

By Hedge Fund Insight staff The composition of the hedge fund industry is always changing at the margin through two causes – subscriptions and redemptions and investment performance. Seeing the occasional snapshot, a moment in time, does not reflect the trends, the change. Recent data from Eurekahedge showed a trend that has been little reported […] Read more »

How Do Pension Plans Monitor Their Hedge Funds, For Example Florida SBA?

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By Simon Kerr, Publisher of Hedge Fund Insight   The Florida State Board of Administration runs the  $141bn Florida Retirement System Pension Plan through an Investment Advisory Council. As a public body it’s papers are available online, and an exploration of the material gives an insight into the way large pension plans, and State sponsored plans in […] Read more »

Smaller Insurers Represent Sales Opportunity For Hedge Funds

By Gary Shub and Team at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG)     The quest to diversify assets as insurers hunt for higher returns in a low-interest-rate environment suggests that there might be a significant opportunity for asset managers—both independent and insurance owned—to curate and offer alternative investment products for small insurance companies in the […] Read more »

Graphic of the Day: What Hedge Funds Do To Pension Returns

From the Research Note “Hedge Fund-ing the Pension Deficit” by Cambridge Associates Research Note Conclusion Growth assets that can deliver attractive long-term returns with beneficial effects on total portfolio risk have clear value to plan sponsors, particularly as plans seek to recoup recent funding losses without increasing the portfolio’s risk level. Low beta–high alpha hedge […] Read more »

UK Pension Allocations To Hedge Funds Topped Out? Graphic of the Day

By Hedge Fund Insight staff Over the past three years Schroders has been tracking the default defined contribution (DC) investment strategies of the UK’s top 350 listed companies every six months to monitor change in asset allocation. Schroders note that “firms are making steady progress towards more diversified investment strategies, which we believe will help deliver […] Read more »

Hedge Fund Stats of the Day – 408 and $18bn

By Hedge Fund Insight staff   S&P Global Market Intelligence Quarterly Hedge Fund Tracker Findings*: Hedge Funds Sell Off Equity Stakes: Hedge funds have sold off significant portions of their total equity holdings, shedding over $18 billion in total equity positions from Q4 2015 to Q1 2016.  This is the second consecutive quarterly equity sell […] Read more »

A Q&A with Cantab Capital – the culture and processes of software development

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Cantab Capital is one of Europe’s leading managed futures firms. Dr. Tom Howat is a Senior Scientist and one of seven partners at the Cambridge-based money manager. Here he talks to Hedge Fund Insight’s Publisher Simon Kerr about his experience of working there. Q. (Simon Kerr) Tom, Can you tell me about when you joined […] Read more »

Alternatives In UK DC Pension Schemes – Schroders’ Report

By Stephen Bowles, Head of UK Institutional Defined Contribution, Schroders   This analysis of the defined contribution (DC) pension landscape among the top listed companies in the UK comes from the fifth edition of the Schroders’ FTSE Default DC schemes report. The aim of this six monthly report is to shine a light on default […] Read more »

BlackRock Promotion of Alternatives For Retail Pays Off

By Hedge Fund Insight staff   BlackRock has had a strategic goal of stimulating and meeting retail demand for alternatives for some years. BlackRock launched its first alternative fund for retail investors in 2011 – the year that Morningstar first gave long/short debt funds their own category. The commercial strategy has had several components –  […] Read more »

Five Things The Seahawks Super Bowl Win Could Teach A Hedge Fund Manager

By Simon Kerr, Principal of Enhance Consulting   1. The team with the fewest errors is often the winner at the biggest occasions in sport. In this year’s Super Bowl the Denver Broncos turned the ball over five times, conceded a safety from the first snap, and threw two interceptions. It is hard for a […] Read more »