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Hedge Funds. William N. Goetzmann Yale School of Management. Overview. Background Industry Performance Management Styles Hedge Funds as Portfolio Assets Manager Track Records. History and Background. Alfred Winslow Jones Sociologist Fortune Editor Fund Manager 1949 Partnership
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Hedge Funds William N. Goetzmann Yale School of Management
Overview • Background • Industry Performance • Management Styles • Hedge Funds as Portfolio Assets • Manager Track Records
History and Background • Alfred Winslow Jones • Sociologist • Fortune Editor • Fund Manager • 1949 Partnership • market-neutral position • high incentive fee • leverage
Theory of Hedge Funds • “Arbitrage in expectations” • Short position’s exposure matches long position’s • Short finances long • Market neutral investment
Basis of Hedge Fund Returns • Manager skill in identifying opportunities • Not derived from passive long position • Focused on “imperfect” market sectors • Depend critically upon special skills and knowledge
Defining Hedge Funds • Freedom from ICA (1940) controls on: • leverage • short-selling • cross-holding • 10% limits • incentive compensation • derivatives positions
Defining Hedge Funds • Limitations on: • number of U.S. investors (99 maximum) • solicitation of U.S. investors • public advertising and disclosure • Information problems: • no public performance records • data vendors only maintain “live fund” data
A Sample of Hedge Funds • Survivorship issues • U.S. Offshore Hedge Fund Directory • Annual returns, 1989 - 1995 • Net of fees and expenses • Includes defunct funds • Brown, Goetzmann & Ibbotson, Offshore Hedge Funds, Survival and Performance, 1997 Yale Working Paper
Offshore Funds • Based in tax havens • Invest alongside major domestic entities • Represent a substantial portion of the industry • 399 Funds with $40 Billion in 12/1995
Manager Compensation • Fixed fee 1% to 2% • Incentive fee 10% to 30% [20% typical] of positive return • High water mark provision
Event-Driven Market Neutral Market Trend/Timing Opportunistic Investing Multi-Strategy Short Sellers Sector Funds Global Macro Fund of Funds Derivatives Manager Styles
Event-Driven • Distressed Securities • bankruptcy • reorganization • equity and debt • Risk Arbitrage • position in acquired and acquirer • trade on collars and other options • hedge with derivatives
Market Neutral • Classic Hedge Fund • true arbitrage on convertibles & derivatives • index arbitrage • fixed income arbitrage • pairs trading • APT arbitrage in expectations
Market Trend/Timing • Timing U.S. Markets • exploit technical analysis • Timing Global Markets • seek country opportunities
Opportunistic Investing • Largest Category of Hedge Fund • Value • liquidation value, book value, out-of-favor • Growth • future earnings potential • Short-Term Hold • active trading to exploit opportunity
Short Sellers • Seeks overvalued equities to short • may hedge market exposure or may not
Global Macro • Soros style • Currency speculation with futures instruments • Forecast influence of global macro trends on liquid instruments
Fund of Funds • Select multiple managers • Use track records for choice • Promote diversification • major issue, since good funds are closed to small investors.
Commodities/ Options/ Futures • Distinction from CTA’s is blurred • Speculate in commodities markets
Hedge Funds as a Portfolio Asset • Low Correlation to U.S. Market • Negative Correlation to GS Commodity Index • Positive Correlation to Fixed Income • Low Correlation Across Styles • Neutral Position Attractive to Diversified Investor
Manager Track Records • Does survivorship matter? • Does positive performance persist? • Is bigger better? • Do benchmarks matter?
Survivor Bias in Track Record • Chance of surviving six years <20% • Managers survive more than funds • Bias in annual return estimates for the index are 100 to 300 BP • May be higher for individual fund
Same Results For: • Winner defined as positive alpha • Winner defined as positive information ratio • Pre-fee performance • Style-adjusted performance • Size as predictor of performance
Conclusions • Positive risk adjusted performance • even with survival bias considered • alphas, Sharpe ratios, information ratios • Excellent portfolio asset • some styles have low correlations • ideal for institutional investors • Funds of Funds not that successful • track records are misleading • hard to identify consistent top performers