by b0rderc0llie » Sun Sep 06, 2009 6:27 pm
I think they were created as something that is not tied to the market, thus offering another "asset class". Some are market neutral, and are supposed to offer absolute returns, independent of the stock market.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A hedge fund is an investment fund open to a limited range of investors that is permitted by regulators to undertake a wider range of investment and trading activities than other investment funds, and that, in general, pays a performance fee to its investment manager. Every hedge fund has its own investment strategy that determines the type of investments and the methods of investment it undertakes. Hedge funds, as a class, invest in a broad range of investments including shares, debt and commodities.
As the name implies, hedge funds often seek to hedge some of the risks inherent in their investments using a variety of methods, most notably short selling and derivatives. However, the term "hedge fund" has also come to be applied to certain funds that do not hedge their investments, and in particular to funds using short selling and other "hedging" methods to increase rather than reduce risk, with the expectation of increasing the return on their investment.
Hedge funds are typically open only to a limited range of professional or wealthy investors. This provides them with an exemption in many jurisdictions from regulations governing short selling, derivatives, leverage, fee structures and the liquidity of interests in the fund. This, along with the performance fee and the fund's open-ended structure, differentiates a hedge fund from an ordinary investment fund.
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