Hedge Fund Newsletter
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
HEDGE FUNDS SNAPSHOT 1Q17 IN THIS ISSUE 1 Overview: Hedge Fund Industry Trends OG Recruiter Interview: Graham Smith, Brian Palabrica, Amit Kapoor 2 OG Client Commentary: Hedge Fund Breakfast Highlights 3 4 People Moves 1. OVERVIEW Regulatory and compliance issues are Another pressing issue, particularly The first quarter of 2017 has seen a adding costs and creating hurdles for given the importance of quant talent strengthening of the dominant trend fundraising. Trade crowding is a for hedge funds, is immigration of 2016: quantitative investing. Quant growing problem that ironically has policy. In April, President Trump strategies are enjoying growth in been intensified by the growing signed an order directing American absolute and relative terms, as well reliance on quant strategies and low- agencies to propose new rules and as outperforming traditional, latency trading. Cybersecurity protocols for the H-1B visa program. fundamental strategies. As a result, constitutes yet another issue facing The President's goal is to ensure that hedge funds are heavily investing in hedge funds, forcing them into the current lottery system is replaced quantitative talent and technology to unending races against the ever- by one that favors the most highly boost risk management, portfolio evolving cyber-threats plaguing the skilled or most highly paid applicants; construction, and data science financial community at large. and further, the President is adamant operations. Candidates in the that anyone receiving such a visa quantitative space at all levels are The single greatest challenge facing must not be displacing an American seeing an increase in opportunity at hedge funds, however, is the political worker. While it is more likely that hedge funds and ancillary businesses. environment. The Brexit vote and technology outplacement workers Hedge funds are growing in-house Trump's win in the American will be more affected than financial teams or engaging with boutique presidential elections are bellwethers specialists, the lack of clarity about subscription services to develop of populist sentiment growing in both immigration rules is another obstacle quant strategies and capabilities. the United States and Europe; that hedge funds navigate. feelings are running strongly against While many hedge funds running open markets and financial It is ironic, then, that the current fundamental strategies have been powerhouses. The Trump uncertainty has favored the largest playing catch-up with their administration has presented an funds even though a number of them quantitative peers, there have been array of different and sometimes have had disappointing performance. bright spots for some strategies. One contradictory initiatives. While the These funds have both the resources macro systematic fund was up almost Cabinet is full of Wall Street bankers, to withstand weak performance and 25% on the year through November. primarily Goldman Sachs alumni, the redemptions; and they are widely Distressed credit or global credit administration's withdrawal from the seen as safe havens. On the other long/short also have performed well. Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement hand, smaller funds have suffered Portfolio managers are returning to and its expressed desire to rewrite badly, not only because of difficult merger arbitrage and event-driven NAFTA are hardly friendly to financial market conditions but for a number investing with notable success. A markets in general and to hedge of other reasons as well. For example, number of issues are generating funds in particular. banks, under pressure to allocate headwinds for hedge funds. HEDGE FUNDS SNAPSHOT 1Q17 Brian Palabrica is a Director based in New York, where he focuses on recruiting for our alternative investment clients. He focuses mainly on hedge funds, with an asset class specialty within Equities and Equity Derivatives. He has placed professionals across Trading, Research, Portfolio Management, Risk Management as well as quantitative investment and research. Amit Kapoor is a Director based in New York. His expertise is with senior management and senior investment professionals within Equities across Long-Short, Value Based Investing, capital conservatively, have turned United Kingdom, the possibility of Market Neutral, Event Driven, and away all but the most profitable currency and trade wars, American Family Offices. He also has a strong hedge fund clients from their prime immigration rules and tax reform, the knowledge base across Macro, Credit, brokerage businesses. The figures on refinancing of Greece's debt, Russia's Quantitative, and Commodity launches and closures tells the story; increasing belligerence toward both strategies. in 2016, 566 hedge funds closed while Europe and the United States, only 518 launched. tensions with North Korea: these and Q: How is OG positioned to address other factors will also deeply cross-border talent movement? New funds are also facing pressure to influence hedge fund performance in Brian: The political climate has made lower their fees from the traditional the coming quarter. 2/20 model. A survey late last year by it desirable to work with firms that Prequin found that new funds were can easily relocate people. That 2. OG RECRUITER INTERVIEW charging 1.5% management fees and favors a firm like ours. We have Three of Options Group’s top hedge 19% performance fees. A survey offices all over the world and an fund recruiters sat down to discuss released in February by HFM and information-sharing culture. If there’s international talent movement, the Citco Fund Services found that 72% of an appetite for it, we can move 1,000 impact of perception, and our unique polled managers were introducing people from the US to Asia. positioning in the hedge fund new fee structures to attract recruiting space. Graham: Yes. For example, we have a investors. In the United States, the Graham Smith is a Partner based in hedge fund client in Asia looking to figure was even higher, at 78%. Even London, and looks after our European hire a US rates trader to move to established funds have cut fees, and Asian hedge fund practice. He either London or Asia. We've got including Moore Capital works across all hedge fund strategies some candidates in London, and we’ll Management, Tricadia Capital, and including Equity Long/Short, Equity have someone in New York, like Amit, Valinor Management. Event Driven, Fixed Income Macro, working on finding candidates from Going into the second quarter, we Relative Value, Global Macro, there. There isn’t another search firm anticipate that the appetite for Systematic and Stat Arbitrage, Credit, that can do that as well as we can. quantitative talent will only grow. Distressed and Special Situations. He We know the market; we have offices However, we also believe that there has successfully placed individuals all over the world, we can execute on will be hiring for select fundamental across Asia, Europe and the US. this swiftly and efficiently. strategies. The June election in the HEDGE FUNDS SNAPSHOT 1Q17 Brian: Cross-border talent movement possibility of rolling back Dodd-Frank looking to enter the industry. It’ll also is Options Group’s strong suit. A US- – to what degree could that happen? complicate the process by adding only recruiting firm won’t be able to Consumers like the protection, so time. It wouldn’t have a positive respond to a situation where you we’ll have to see if there’s any impact on the industry. need to move talent. It’s easy for us movement there and if there’ll be an with our experience and worldwide impact on hedge funds. Brian: There’s no arguing against the reach. When macro forces are fact that there is not enough US- affecting how and where people are Brian: The more interesting based or US-born talent to support being hired, we’re best positioned to regulatory and compliance issue are hedge fund demand. A reduction in help. those associated with retail strategies foreign-born talent would be and long-only offerings. For example, damaging. Broadly speaking, political Q: Speaking of macro forces, how there's a hedge fund building out its bans that potentially demonstrate a does the changing regulatory long-only fund, which requires negative posture towards the world environment in Europe and the US building out a whole class of people may impact if and how people decide affect the hedge fund industry? that know about that kind of thing, to move. whether it’s individuals that know Amit: Well, regulatory compliance is how to market that kind of structure Graham: And in the UK, Brexit has led obviously a point of concern for the or build that business. Hedge funds to a similar perception. If the UK is hedge fund industry. are blurring the line between what perceived as unwelcoming to foreign was previously only available to individuals, it can be really harmful, Graham: Right, in terms of European secretive, high net worth investors. regardless of whether it’s true or not. regulatory issues, the Markets in Now, the door is opening to more Financial Instruments Directive Brian: For hedge funds, Asian and people, like mom-and-pop investors. (MiFID II) will change the relationship Russian talent is essential; they make This creates new concerns and new between hedge funds and research. It up a majority of the quant talent hiring appetite. One fund I work with basically has to do with how banks pool. So if the majority of hedge fund is looking to build an ETF and needs a are separating their research arms. hiring is going to be in the quant marketer to push the process. The Banks can no longer provide free space, then this would have an demand is there, but hedge funds research. Hedge funds will have to impact. now need to deal with regulatory and pay for research from the banks. I compliance concerns.