Hedge fund is an investment fund that can undertake a wider range of investment and trading activities than other funds, but which is only open for investment from particular types of investors specified by regulators. These investors are typically institutions, such as pension funds, university endowments and foundations, or high net worth individuals. As a class, hedge funds invest in a diverse range of assets, but they most commonly trade liquid securities on public markets. They also employ a wide variety of investment strategies, and make use of techniques such as short selling and leverage.
The value of an investment in a hedge fund is calculated as a share of the fund's net asset value, meaning that increases and decreases in the value of the fund's assets (and fund expenses) are directly reflected in the amount an investor can later withdraw.
Most hedge fund investment strategies aim to achieve a positive return on investment whether markets are rising or falling. Hedge fund managers typically invest their own money in the fund they manage, which serves to align their interests with investors in the fund.[1][2] A hedge fund typically pays its investment manager a management fee, that is designed to cover the operational costs of the manager, and a performance fee if the fund's net asset value increases during the year. Some hedge funds have a net asset value of several billions dollars. As of 2009, hedge funds represented 1.1% of the total funds and assets held by financial institutions. The estimated size of the global hedge fund industry is US$1.9 trillion.
Because hedge funds are not sold to the public or retail investors, the funds and their managers have historically not been subject to the same restrictions that govern other funds and investment fund managers with regard to how the fund may be structured and how strategies and techniques are employed. Regulations passed in the United States and Europe after the 2008 credit crisis are intended to increase government oversight of hedge funds and eliminate certain regulatory gaps.
Because investments in hedge funds can add diversification to investment portfolios, investors may use them as a tool to reduce their overall portfolio risk exposures. Managers of hedge funds use particular trading strategies and instruments with the specific aim of reducing market risks to produce risk-adjusted returns, which are consistent with investors' desired level of risk.Hedge funds ideally produce returns relatively uncorrelated with market indices. While "hedging" can be a way of reducing the risk of an investment, hedge funds, like all other investment types, are not immune to risk. According to a report by the Hennessee Group, hedge funds were approximately one-third less volatile than the S&P 500 between 1993 and 2010.
Investors in hedge funds are, in most countries, required to be sophisticated qualified investors who are assumed to be aware of the investment risks, and accept these risks because of the potential returns relative to those risks. Fund managers may employ extensive risk management strategies in order to protect the fund and investors. According to the Financial Times, "big hedge funds have some of the most sophisticated and exacting risk management practices anywhere in asset management."[51] Hedge fund managers may hold a large number of investment positions for short durations and are likely to have a particularly comprehensive risk management system in place. Funds may have "risk officers" who assess and manage risks but are not otherwise involved in trading, and may employ strategies such as formal portfolio risk models. A variety of measuring techniques and models may be used to calculate the risk incurred by a hedge fund's activities; fund managers may use different models depending on their fund's structure and investment strategy. Some factors,such as normality of return, are not always accounted for by conventional risk measurement methodologies. Funds which use value at risk as a measurement of risk may compensate for this by employing additional models such as drawdown and “time under water” to ensure all risks are captured.
In addition to assessing the market-related risks that may arise from an investment, investors commonly employ operational due diligence to assess the risk that error or fraud at a hedge fund might result in loss to the investor. Considerations will include the organisation and management of operations at the hedge fund manager, whether the investment strategy is likely to be sustainable, and the fund's ability to develop as a company.
Since hedge funds are private entities and have few public disclosure requirements, this is sometimes perceived as a lack of transparency. Another common perception of hedge funds is that their managers are not subject to as much regulatory oversight and/or registration requirements as other financial investment managers, and more prone to manager-specific idiosyncratic risks such as style drifts, faulty operations, or fraud. New regulations introduced in the US and the EU as of 2010 require hedge fund managers to report more information, leading to greater transparency. In addition, investors, particularly institutional investors, are encouraging further developments in hedge fund risk management, both through internal practices and external regulatory requirements. The increasing influence of institutional investors has led to greater transparency: hedge funds increasingly provide information to investors including valuation methodology, positions and leverage exposure.
The value of an investment in a hedge fund is calculated as a share of the fund's net asset value, meaning that increases and decreases in the value of the fund's assets (and fund expenses) are directly reflected in the amount an investor can later withdraw.
Most hedge fund investment strategies aim to achieve a positive return on investment whether markets are rising or falling. Hedge fund managers typically invest their own money in the fund they manage, which serves to align their interests with investors in the fund.[1][2] A hedge fund typically pays its investment manager a management fee, that is designed to cover the operational costs of the manager, and a performance fee if the fund's net asset value increases during the year. Some hedge funds have a net asset value of several billions dollars. As of 2009, hedge funds represented 1.1% of the total funds and assets held by financial institutions. The estimated size of the global hedge fund industry is US$1.9 trillion.
Because hedge funds are not sold to the public or retail investors, the funds and their managers have historically not been subject to the same restrictions that govern other funds and investment fund managers with regard to how the fund may be structured and how strategies and techniques are employed. Regulations passed in the United States and Europe after the 2008 credit crisis are intended to increase government oversight of hedge funds and eliminate certain regulatory gaps.
Because investments in hedge funds can add diversification to investment portfolios, investors may use them as a tool to reduce their overall portfolio risk exposures. Managers of hedge funds use particular trading strategies and instruments with the specific aim of reducing market risks to produce risk-adjusted returns, which are consistent with investors' desired level of risk.Hedge funds ideally produce returns relatively uncorrelated with market indices. While "hedging" can be a way of reducing the risk of an investment, hedge funds, like all other investment types, are not immune to risk. According to a report by the Hennessee Group, hedge funds were approximately one-third less volatile than the S&P 500 between 1993 and 2010.
Investors in hedge funds are, in most countries, required to be sophisticated qualified investors who are assumed to be aware of the investment risks, and accept these risks because of the potential returns relative to those risks. Fund managers may employ extensive risk management strategies in order to protect the fund and investors. According to the Financial Times, "big hedge funds have some of the most sophisticated and exacting risk management practices anywhere in asset management."[51] Hedge fund managers may hold a large number of investment positions for short durations and are likely to have a particularly comprehensive risk management system in place. Funds may have "risk officers" who assess and manage risks but are not otherwise involved in trading, and may employ strategies such as formal portfolio risk models. A variety of measuring techniques and models may be used to calculate the risk incurred by a hedge fund's activities; fund managers may use different models depending on their fund's structure and investment strategy. Some factors,such as normality of return, are not always accounted for by conventional risk measurement methodologies. Funds which use value at risk as a measurement of risk may compensate for this by employing additional models such as drawdown and “time under water” to ensure all risks are captured.
In addition to assessing the market-related risks that may arise from an investment, investors commonly employ operational due diligence to assess the risk that error or fraud at a hedge fund might result in loss to the investor. Considerations will include the organisation and management of operations at the hedge fund manager, whether the investment strategy is likely to be sustainable, and the fund's ability to develop as a company.
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