A Practical Guide To Hedge Funds

Hedge fund investing is growing at a faster rate than any other kind of investing. While once only available to the rich and super rich, hedge funds are now becoming more widely available. There are between 6000-7000 hedge funds worldwide, with assets of approximately $650 billion. Industry predictions are that assets will exceed $1 trillion in the next 5 to 10 years as individual investors and pension plans seek to diversify their holdings. A Practical Guide to Hedge Funds will give you a basic understanding of what hedge funds are, how they work, how they compare to mutual funds and traditional investments, and what the results will likely be if you invest in them. This is one of the few books where you will read interviews with hedge fund investors and their investment experiences. If you're tired of depending on the traditional equity markets for your portfolio returns. A Practical Guide to Hedge Funds will help you discover what investing in hedge funds can do for you.

Written by the Founder and CEO of the prestigious New York School of Finance, this book schools you in the fundamental tools for accurately assessing the soundness of a stock investment. Built around a full-length case study of Wal-Mart, it shows you how to perform an in-depth analysis of that company's financial standing, walking you through all the steps of developing a sophisticated financial model as done by professional Wall Street analysts. You will construct a full scale financial model and valuation step-by-step as you page through the book. When we ran this analysis in January of 2012, we estimated the stock was undervalued. Since the first run of the analysis, the stock has increased 35 percent. Re-evaluating Wal-Mart 9months later, we will step through the techniques utilized by Wall Street analysts to build models on and properly value business entities. Step-by-step financial modeling - taught using downloadable Wall Street models, you will construct the model step by step as you page through the book. Hot keys and explicit Excel instructions aid even the novice excel modeler. Model built complete with Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Balance Sheet, Balance Sheet Balancing Techniques, Depreciation Schedule (complete with accelerating depreciation and deferring taxes), working capital schedule, debt schedule, handling circular references, and automatic debt pay downs. Illustrative concepts including detailing model flows help aid in conceptual understanding. Concepts are reiterated and honed, perfect for a novice yet detailed enough for a professional. Model built direct from Wal-Mart public filings, searching through notes, performing research, and illustrating techniques to formulate projections. Includes in-depth coverage of valuation techniques commonly used by Wall Street professionals. Illustrative comparable company analyses - built the right way, direct from historical financials, calculating LTM (Last Twelve Month) data, calendarization, and properly smoothing EBITDA and Net Income. Precedent transactions analysis - detailing how to extract proper metrics from relevant proxy statements Discounted cash flow analysis - simplifying and illustrating how a DCF is utilized, how unlevered free cash flow is derived, and the meaning of weighted average cost of capital (WACC) Step-by-step we will come up with a valuation on Wal-Mart Chapter end questions, practice models, additional case studies and common interview questions (found in the companion website) help solidify the techniques honed in the book; ideal for universities or business students looking to break into the investment banking field.

Successful hedge fund investing begins with well-informed strategy A Guide to Starting Your Hedge Fund is a practical, definitive "how-to" guide, designed to help managers design and launch their own funds, and to help investors select and diligence new funds. The first book to examine the practical aspects of setting up and operating funds with a focus on energy commodity markets, this book scrutinises the due diligence process and comprehensively reviews the opportunities and risks of all energy commodity markets as hedge fund investments. Extensive planning and strategy advice prove invaluable to prospective fund managers and investors alike, and detailed discussion of the markets' constraints help inform procedural decisions. Readers gain insight into practical matters including legal and commercial structures, due diligence, fund raising, operations, and more, allowing them to construct a concrete investment plan before ever touching a penny. Asset managers are looking to energy commodities to provide attractive uncorrelated – if volatile – returns. These high returns, however, are accompanied by high risk. Few investors have experience evaluating these investment opportunities, and few prospective fund managers understand the market fundamentals and their associated risks. This book provides the answers sorely lacking in hedge fund literature, giving investors and fund managers the background they need to make smarter decisions. Understand the markets' structures, opportunities, and risks Develop a comprehensive, well-informed investment strategy Conduct thorough due diligence with a detailed plan Examine the practical aspects of fund raising, legal and tax structure, and more Oil has long been traded by hedge funds, but electricity, the fuels that generate electricity, and the environmental products like emissions allowances and weather derivatives have become the new "hot" investment strategies. These high returns come with higher risk, but A Guide to Starting Your Hedge Fund ensures participants have essential information at their disposal.

International Funds will provide readers with: *A greater understanding of the benefits and limitations of funds to both retail and institutional investors *An easy-to-read, yet technically comprehensive, insight into fund structures *An overview of the variety of legal structures, regulatory categories and investment profiles available *A detailed understanding of the practical aspects of fund valuation and administration, and the role of the various practitioners *A view of the future of the international funds industry in the light of changing markets, regulation and investor appetite An easy-to-read, yet technically comprehensive, insight into fund structures Provides an overview of the variety of legal structures, regulatory categories and investment profiles available Presents a view of the future of the international funds industry in the light of changing markets, regulation and investor appetite'

One-stop-guide to the hedge fund industry, investment and trading strategies adopted by hedge funds and the industry's regulation. For anyone with an interest in investing or managing funds, it presents everything practitioners need to know to understand these investment vehicles from their theoretical underpinnings, to how they work in practice.

Includes trading examples that illustrate points about risk management and leverage. Presents all the practical knowledge necessary to run a leveraged investment company. Non-technical explanations brings an element of transparency to a part of the investment world often thought of as difficult to understand.

This unique and detailed Handbook provides a comprehensive source of analysis and research on alternative investment funds in the EU, the US and other leading jurisdictions. Expert contributors offer an unparalleled perspective on the contemporary alternative funds industry, the main areas of regulatory policy concern surrounding its activities, and the role that alternative funds have played in recent financial crises, as well as an account of the rules governing their operation in selected jurisdictions. Providing insight and analysis of the contemporary investment funds industry at a time of crisis and transition, the Research Handbook on Hedge Funds, Private Equity and Alternative Investments will be a valuable tool for scholars, practitioners and policymakers alike.

Praise and Reviews "As hundreds of billions of capital seek an appropriate match with thousands of hedge funds, Matthew Ridley has produced a survey of the major hedge fund strategies that will be of great utility to the novice or pro. Comprehensive, insightful, readable, leavened with common sense and wit, it is much like a Consulta due diligence review."Bruce G Wilcox, Chairman, Cumberland Associates LLC"Extremely informative - a thorough synopsis of how funds view different investments. Matt has taken a very complicated process and simplified it so everyone can understand it. After reading this book, everyone will believe they can manage a hedge fund."Marc Lasry, Founder and Managing Partner, Avenue Capital Group"In light of the recent equity bear market and increasing retail and institutional interest in hedge funds, Matt Ridley's book is a most timely introduction and analysis of this complex and diverse asset class."Gary Brass, Managing Director, Consulta Limited"An excellent book that gives a pragmatic coverage of the area without sacrificing depth, Ridley's lengthy experience of the asset class really shines through. This book should leave investment professionals new to the area with the skills they need to hit the ground running, ready to appraise, select and monitor hedge funds and hold their own even when analysing the most complex of strategies."Dr Chris Jones, Director, Alternative Investment Strategies, io investors, Visiting AssociOver the past decade hedge funds have experienced considerable growth as an alternative asset class. Disappointing returns from mainstream markets have stimulated the interest of a previously sceptical investment community. More and more asset managers are now providing their clients with access to hedge funds.How to Invest in Hedge Funds is a clear, step-by-step guide for professionals investing in this area for the first time. It is a practical introduction to various types of hedge fund strategies, and how they work and develop over time. How to Invest in Hedge Funds provides a uniquely balanced picture that outlines both the strengths and weaknesses of this kind of fund.Contents include:definition, origin, structure and attributes of a typical hedge fund;risks and merits of hedge funds;how to select a hedge fund;portfolio construction and management;how to organize a hedge fund research effort;chapters dedicated to explaining specific hedge fund strategies.Written by one of the leading practitioners in the field, How to Invest in Hedge Funds is packed with practical information and guides the reader through the process of investing in this area.