Only hedge funds with more than $5bn in AuM attracted net inflows in Q1-12

According to Chicago-based data provider Hedge Fund Research, investors allocations, combined with a quarterly performance of almost 5%, lead to an increase in assets of $16bn in the first quarter (Q1) of 2012. Total capital in the hedge fund industry is estimated to be at $2.13tln, surpassing the previous record of $2.04tln set at mid-year 2011.

Investor preference for the industry's most established managers continued to be pronounced in Q1, with $18.3bn in new capital allocated to firms with greater than $5bn in AuM, while firms managing less than $5bn experienced a combined net outflow of nearly $2bn.

Rays of sunshine: JOBS Act, proposed Small Business Tax Cut Act

Hedge funds may be facing more regulations, but here are a couple of stars out of Pandora's box (both in the U.S.): the JOBS Act, and the proposed Small Business Tax Cut Act. The former should allow hedge funds to market offerings to a much larger audience; the latter would provide some financial relief for those hedge funds that have less than 500 employees – that is, most of them.

President Obama recently signed into law the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act which liberalizes the way private placements are conducted and allows general solicitation and general advertising, according to Kinetic Partners, a global financial services firm. Specifically, the JOBS Act amends the text of Rule 506 on private placements and forces the SEC to lift the ban on general solicitation and advertising on hedge funds. The SEC has 90 days to act on this amendment a......................

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