Saturday, 10 December 2011

Are Hedge Funds Right For You?

By Jack Wogan


In 2008 the world economic downturn has changed the face of financial investments on global scale. Worldwide currency, which everyone believed in, has shown its fiat worth. By and large, people lost their confidence in the popular investment means, but become more conscious of the fact that a dependable and profitable financial portfolio rests on assortment both in terms of investing and making saving.

Making the right investment decision primarily consists of knowing your means, financial objectives, targets and limitations. If you are a sophisticated investor, who can afford high net capital and bear some pretty heavy risks in the prospect of alluring gains on short to medium term, then the hedge fund is one alternative to ponder upon.

Benefiting from a more regulatory-free area of movement than the typical funds and making use of a wide variety of investment strategies, the hedge fund can enter any market sector from commodities to stocks and shares, from spontaneous event driven investments to well-prepared market directional investment strategies. Directly dependable on the object of investment, timing and market tendencies, the risks are extremely variable. For example, investing in gold implies high gains and smaller risks than venturing on the stock market.

The manager who actively administers the hedge fund is responsible for all investment decisions. Therefore, his expertise, education, and inspiration are crucial. The capital holders have no veto rights in administering the fund. The returns of the manager is hefty and, in general is deducted as performance commission. Typically it represents about 20% of the entire profit. If the fund comes to a standstill or, even worse, if it registers losses, the manager will only perceive an operational brokerage.

More than half of the hedge fund investing is attributed to institutions, organizations or foundations, whereas only about 35 to 40 % is assigned to independent investors. This is because on one hand the advertising of hedge funds or making public their transactions is forbidden and, thus few know what a hedge fund actually refers to. On the other hand, such funds address a selective segment of investors, namely very wealthy individuals who are eager to advance their worth despite a series of risks. Reputedly, the net capital investment in a hedge fund ranges from one million dollars upwards, while the returns are said to be even 100%. Though this is a good illustration of the folk saying "money breeds money", one can not stop to wonder about the risk range attached to such capital investments.




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