Alpha Mail - A monthly email update from AllAboutAlpha.com
Dear Alpha Mail Subscriber:
 
When signs of hope began to emerge last spring, there was much talk of green shoots not only in the economy, but also in the hedge fund community.  It seems those green shoots have now taken root.  In October, we learned that there was "no end to the pull of alternatives" for institutional investors, that hedge fund indices were nearing all-time highs, and that hedge fund hiring was "bouncing back."
 
Executive recruiter Heidrick & Struggles recently released a report in which it characterized hedge fund hiring this way: 
  • Q1: "...Little/no search activity post Lehman demise (mid September thru March) and little emerging manager/hedge fund activity..."
  • Q2: "...Hedge funds started to make hires, candidates also see hiring activity picking up. Pick-up as well in hedge fund formation activity..."
  • Q3: "...Employers who held onto the viewpoint that 'the talent pool will only get richer over time' now more active in hiring and taking advantage of the available talent. In addition hedge funds now competing for talent with endowments, foundations, traditional asset managers, and asset management and prop desks of banks..."
The firm goes on to name names in this newly recharged talent derby.  It also states that hiring is now happening across a full breadth of disciplines from investment and marketing to operations.
 
So here's to some good news for those of you (most of you) who supply talent to the alternative investment sector.  
Last Month's Most Popular Posts 
  1. 7 Questions for John Rowsell of Man Investments John Rowsell sits down with AllAboutAlpha.com Editorial Board member Andrew Saunders and discusses managed accounts, the shifting regulatory landscape and the investment opportunities facing Man over the next year.

  2. Alpha being airlifted out of dying portable alpha strategies
    Disenchanted with the beta portion of their portable alpha programs, several major public pension plans are now shunning the approach. But that doesn't mean they're turning their backs on absolute return strategies. Far from it...

  3. You blinked and you missed it! The best for distressed has apparently come and gone Some say the long-awaited, once-in-a-lifetime distressed party has already come and gone, but others smell opportunity down the road.

  4. As sun sets on 2009, are investors back in love with hedge funds? This year is ending a lot better than it began for many hedge funds and their investors. A thawing of relations? Perhaps. But how might that affect manager behavior as the year winds down?

  5. Fooled by Fees Editorial Board member Konstantin Danilov asks, "Can some investors be 'fooled' into buying new and unproven private equity funds?"

  6. A bold new theory on why attempts to regulate hedge funds tend to fail Ever wonder why so many hedge fund regulatory initiatives seem to end up in the trash?  Here's one theory you probably haven't considered.

  7. Active management redeemed? A plethora of studies have shown that, on average, active management doesn't pay.  But so many "active" funds are just closet indexers. So what happens when you analyze only the truly active funds? The results might surprise you.

  8. How to avoid Black Swan excrement Everyone knows that risk management didn't work as well as hoped during the recent calamity. The question now is what might work the next time the Black Swan surfaces. Professor William Shadwick has a few suggestions.

  9. Investors to Real Estate Private Equity: We don't want any (right now)! Private equity real estate funds are having trouble raising assets. Join the club.

  10. Hedge Fund Mid-term Report Card  "Satisfactory" may sound like a mediocre mark on a report card. But after last year, it's looking pretty sweet for hedge funds.
That's the kind of month it's been - green shoots that just may be taking root.
 
One final word.  I'll be in Los Angeles next week to meet with some of our favorite alpha-centric fund managers and members of the Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) Association (the parent of this website).  So if you'd like to discuss anything you have ever read on these pages or want to learn more about the rapidly-growing CAIA designation, register here to attend a reception hosted by the LA Chapter high atop Wilshire Boulevard on Thursday, November 5th.
 
Until next month...
 
Happy Alpha Hunting,
 
Christopher Holt, Managing Editor
AllAboutAlpha.com
editor@allaboutalpha.com
 


Thursday, Oct 29, 2009
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