Structure of the Hedge Fund Industry Flashcards
Distinguishing Features of Hedge Funds
1) Privately organized
2) Performance-based fee
3) Investment flexibility
Flexabilities
1) Trading
2) Private
3) Real Assets
4) Derivative
5) Short Positions
6) Structured Products
Consolidation
Increase in the proportion of a market represented by a relatively small number of participants
High-Water Mark
Highest NAV of the fund on which an incentive fee has been paid.
Incentive Fee Formula
(NAVafterfees-NAVbeginning){incentive fee/(1-incentive fee)
Optimal Contracting
Attempts to align the interests of both parties to the extent that the interests can be aligned
Marginal Coinvesting
Context is an agreement fund managers and fund investors that the managers will invest their own money.
Excessive Conservatism
High risk aversion by the manager, since the manager’s total income and total wealth may be highly sensitive.
Perverse Incentive
Motivates the receiver of the incentive to work in opposition to the interests of the provider of the incentive.
Annuity View of Hedge Fund Fee
Represents the prospective stream of cash flows from fees available to a hedge fund manager.
Option View of Incentive Fee
Represents the prospective stream of cash flows from fees available to a hedge fund manager
Incentive fee option value
max(i(ENAV-BNAV),0
At-the-money Incentive Fee Approximation
i40%NAV*STDEV
Pure Asset Gatherer
Manager focused primarily on increasing the AUM of the fund
Closet Indexer
Manager who attempts to generate returns that mimic an index while claiming to be an active manager
Lock-in Effect
Pressure exerted on managers to avoid further risks once high profitability and a high incentive fee have been achieved.
Managing Returns & Massaging Returns
Alter reported investment returns toward preferred targets through accounting decisions or investment changers
Classification of Hedge Fund Strategies
Organized grouping and labeling of hedge fund strategies.
Five Strategies
1) Macro and managed future
2) Event-driven
3) Relative Value
4) Equity
5) Fund of funds
Fund of Funds (FOF)
Charges a fee for the due diligence it performs, and the funds within the FOF.
Double layer fee
Single Manager Hedge Fund
Single hedge fund, underlying investments that are not allocations to other hedge funds.
Multistrategy Fund
Deploys its underlying investments with a variety of strategies and submanagers, much as corporation would use its divisions.
Fund Mortality
Liquidation or cessation of operations of funds, illustrates the risk of individual hedge funds and is an important issue in hedge fund analysis.
Hedge Fund Program
Processes and procedures for the construction monitoring and maintenance of a portfolio of hedge funds.