From the monthly archives:

February 2008

The Power of the Quants

A recent Forbes article discusses how much control the quants are now wielding in the stock market.The article states that 70% of all equity volume is driven by computer models and that these models continue to trigger surges in buy or sell orders. Some 30% of all trades are being done in dark pools — alternative trading systems (also known as the upstairs market). Given the hidden nature of this activity, ordinary investors are fighting with one arm tied behind their back and should beware.

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Vacation Benefit by the Numbers

Nine or more weeks of vacation, and none at all, both seem surprising. Four weeks comes up as the most common allotment, three weeks in a not-distant second place, and five and two weeks with close-to-equal frequency.

Over two hundred hedge fund professionals reported on their vacation in Hedge Fund Search Digest’s 2007 Compensation Survey.

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Recruiting in Asia from New York – Kevin Collins

February 26, 2008

We spoke with Kevin Collins of April International about his firm’s work in Asia and his approach to recruiting. This is the first part of a two-part interview. Tell us about your office. We have eight people, and we work days and into the night. We work until usually 11 pm or midnight, because we […]

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Comp In a Nutshell (for Employees)

February 25, 2008

“For job seekers, it’s critical to gather as much information as possible about prospective employers. As the data demonstrates, compensation is an area of concern for 75% of the respondents. As a result of the findings, compensation programs should be closely scrutinized before deciding to make any new job commitment.” From the HFSD 2007 Hedge […]

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Closing of a Multi-Billion Fund

February 22, 2008

Founded three years ago, Sailfish Capital had no trouble raising cash on the basis of its managers’ strong reputations. Six months ago, the Stamford-based, credit-focused fund was worth $2 billion. The last half-year has been an almost-steady decline, and co-founder Mark Fishman confirms the fund is shutting down. Read the NYT case study.

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Employees Report on Work/Life Balance

February 22, 2008

In Hedge Fund Search Digest’s 2007 Compensation Survey, individuals representing over 200 firms reported work/life balance on a scale of 1 to 5. The resulting chart certainly thought-provoking. “Poor” is the least common response; “Average” is the most common by far. More people reported “Better than Average” than “Less than Average”. In fact, postive responses […]

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The Global Macro Strategy is Back

February 19, 2008

An article in the Wall Street Journal today discusses how an old Hedge Fund strategy is back in favor. The Global Macro strategy is bets on economic trends in interest rates, global currencies and other instruments. Traders using the strategy have been winning big now that volatility has returned to the global market and interest […]

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