Opalesque Exclusive: Swiss CTA Amplitude’s AuM grow as investors add to short-term trading funds... [more]Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva: While many CTA managers have suffered in terms of performance and AUM, over the last 15 months Swiss-based Amplitude Capital’s assets under management grew by about 33% to around $1.6bn on the back of a few large tickets from North-American and European pensi

Opalesque Exclusive: Is it a good time for global equities?... [more]Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva: Investing in global equities is presently a roller coaster. Latest statistics from China, geopolitical events in Ukraine and uncertainty about US valuations and the dollar, all add to a generally perceived high level of risk. Hence some long-only managers are

Other Voices: Fortress Europe? New UCITS V rules could be cumbersome for US fund managers... [more]By: Kaye Scholer Attorneys The European Parliament and Council recently agreed on the substance of the new UCITS V Directive, which will include safeguards to protect client assets in the event of a depositary’s insolvency and also address remuneration practices that are thought to encourage e

Hedge funds back at net long S&P500 after buying spree... [more]Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Hedge funds are once again net long the S&P500 following buying spree, according to the latest

Seven defendants settle SEC fraud charges in NY Common Fund "Pay to Play" case... [more]Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia: The 'pay-to-play’ scheme involving the New York State's Common Retirement Fund, which was found out in 2009, is nearing closure. United States District Judge for Southern District of New York Katherine Polk Failla rendered her final judgment against sev

Oxford Capital sanctioned for $3.5m on commodities scheme; principal to serve prison time... [more]Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Illinois-based Oxford Capital and its principal Dimitry Vishnevetsky have been sanctioned by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois following a complaint from the CFTC for commodities fraud and misallocation. The sanction amounts to $3.5m

Performance – Balestra Capital lost more than 6% in February pressing bullish bets on Japanese stocks and against the yen, Astenbeck fund jumps 8% in February on crude oil rally... [more]Balestra Capital lost more than 6% in February pressing bullish bets on Japanese stocks and against the yen From WSJ.com: A former Olympic fencer’s hedge fund may have found its foil. The $1.5 billion Balestra Capital Partners, L.P., started by ex-Olympian Jim Melcher, lost more than 6%

Indices – Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index up 1.83%, recovers from early-2014 losses (1.49% YTD), Greenwich Global Hedge Fund Index bounces back 1.93% in February (1.43% YTD)... [more]Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index up 1.83%, recovers from early-2014 losses (1.49% YTD) Hedge funds were up 1.83% in February 2014, according to Eurekahedge, recovering from their losses in the start of the year as the MSCI World Index posted gains of 3.87% during the month. Key takeawa

Hedge funds like most Chinese stocks... [more]From Kapitall.com: Institutional investors are buying lots of Chinese stocks, so we found 6 with biggest spikes in purchases. The investment bank Goldman Sachs has joined JP Morgan (JPM) in its assessment that the Chinese stock market is heavily over-sold by at least 20%. Chinese shares have continu

Studies – White paper finds endowments' allocation to hedge funds relatively stable but role has changed, Credit Suisse 6th Annual Hedge Fund Investor Survey finds optimism on the topics of asset growth and performance, State Street unit at top of hedge fund administrator ranking... [more]White paper finds endowments' allocation to hedge funds relatively stable but role has changed In its just-released white paper, "Endowment Interest and Allocation to Hedge Funds/Funds of Funds," Infovest21 examines endowments' use of hedge funds from both a qualitative and quantitative

Comment – How seven big banks secretly manipulated the global currency markets... [more]From Aroundwallstreet.com: Just how exactly did foreign currency traders at Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, RBS and UBS secretly rig global exchange rates for almost a decade? FX is, after all, the largest financial market in the world with $5.3 trillion in trading volu

Regulatory – NYSE, Nasdaq join to push for trading rule... [more]From WSJ.com: Longtime rivals Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. and NYSE Euronext are joining forces in a bid to reclaim trading volumes from smaller competitors, according to people familiar with the matter. The two firms are pushing for a controversial rule to be added to a pilot program under considera

Legal – Ex-Jefferies trader Jesse Litvak convicted of defrauding buyers... [more]From Bloomberg.com: Former Jefferies & Co. Managing Director Jesse Litvak was convicted in the only criminal case against an individual in connection with a U.S. program that used bailout funds to spur investment in mortgage-backed securities. Litvak, 39, of New York, was found guilty by a fed

Europe – Global investors’ bet on Europe recovery picks up pace... [more]From Dailytimes.com.ph: After being shunned by investors for years, the euro zone is attracting global funds at the fastest pace ever as its economic recovery beckons those fleeing emerging markets. Many investors, from Middle-Eastern sovereign funds to South American pension funds, deserted t

Asia – Goodwin Gaw says Chinese property sector will not implode like America's subprime market... [more]From Forbes.com: These days, it’s not difficult to meet someone who’s ready to warn you about an impending blowout of the Chinese property market. CBS' 60 Minutes program last August called China’s real estate “the largest housing bubble in history.” Famous hedge fund manager and China bear Jim Chan

People – Finisterre Capital appoints David Burnside as head of business development, Tullett Prebon alternative investments expands into the Middle East and strengthens its team in Europe... [more]Finisterre Capital appoints David Burnside as head of business development Finisterre Capital, the absolute return emerging market specialist with $1.7bn in assets under management, announces David Burnside has been appointed as a Partner and Head of Business Development. Mr. Burnside wi

Activist News – Activist hedge funds increase corporate bond risk, says Moody’s, Omega's Cooperman: eBay should spin off portion of PayPal, William Ackman’s battle to bring down Herbalife... [more]Activist hedge funds increase corporate bond risk, says Moody’s From FT.com: The growing power of activist hedge funds has increased the risk of owning corporate bonds, one of the leading credit rating agencies is warning. Bondholders could face “a rising tide of credit-negative events”

Service Providers – Online marketing platform revolutionizes alternatives fundraising, Grassi & Co. launches new $3.6bn fund service... [more]Online marketing platform revolutionizes alternatives fundraising Latest figures from Preqin Investor Network reveal the extent to which the dynamics of fundraising have evolved in the current marketplace. Preqin’s latest industry analysis reveals 51% of institutional investors are now a

News Briefs – Hedge fund industry raises nearly $2m to prevent and treat child abuse, Puerto Rico said to offer $3bn at 8.625%-8.875% yield, J.P. Morgan: Record levels of margin debt no cause for alarm—yet, S&P Capital IQ and New Legacy Group host global emerging manager awards recognizing hedge fund leadership and philanthropy, Global futures and options volume rose 2.1% to 21.64 billion in 2013, Explosive growth pushes Alibaba online fund up global rankings, Wall Street gets new billionaire as Virtu prepares for IPO... [more]Hedge fund industry raises nearly $2m to prevent and treat child abuse Hedge Funds Care/Help For Children (HFC), one of the most globally recognized charities backed by the hedge fund industry whose proceeds support non-profits focused on preventing and treating child abuse, raised nearly

…And Finally – Bacon's new app... [more]From ABCnews.go.com: Want to wake up to the sound of bacon sizzling on the stove with its aroma drawing you out of bed? There's an app for that. Oscar Mayer says it has created a bacon-scented app for the iPhone, developed by the Madison-based company's Institute for the Advancement