80% of all new hedge funds were equity-oriented in 2015

Steven B. Nadel

Equity strategies dominated hedge fund launches last year. About 80% of new funds rolled out in 2015 were equity-oriented, compared to 73% in 2014 and 65% in 2013, said the latest annual Hedge Fund Study from international law firm Seward & Kissel.

The survey also found that newly-launched hedge funds continued to entice investors with management fee discounts while simultaneously tightening restrictions on redemptions. This would point to a new balance in negotiating power between the funds and their deep-pocketed investors, Seward added. Steve Nadel, Seward & Kissel's Investment Management Group partner and lead author of the study, explained, "The 2015 study reveals a more even balance of power between hedge funds and investors. More funds found it necessary to lure initial investors with reduced fees, but at the same time, investors understood that many strategies warranted a longer redemption cycle."

The law firm said that their findings reflect a give-and-take between hedge funds and investors. On the one hand, they show the continuation of a trend in which hedge funds are willing to incentivize investors to join their founders classes, offering discounted fees, and sometimes tiered management fees that step down as fund assets grow. On the other hand, hedge funds further tightened their redemption rules.

More equity strategies offered tiered management fee discounts in 2015

Last year, 35% of funds using equity-based strategies offered tiered management fee discounts in their founders classes, as compared to 25% in the 2014 study.

The tiered management fee structure recognizes efficiencies that can be gained with scale, while incentivizing investors to contribute "......................

To view our full article please login

This article was published in Opalesque's New Managers a top-down monthly analysis, news and research publication on the global emerging manager space.