The Best-Performing Hedge Funds are Buying Yelp, Adobe and These Other Stocks (CNBC)
In the hedge fund industry, much of the attention is given to big names such as David Einhorn and Bill Ackman, but some smaller, lesser-known fund managers have been better at picking stocks over the years. Here’s what they are betting on next. CNBC used Symmetric.io, a hedge-fund tracking firm, to find the best under-the-radar managers and which stocks they recently bought based on regulatory filings. Symmetric.io grades the stock-picking ability of nearly 1,000 hedge funds in its database with a proprietary indicator of performance called StockAlpha. It is derived by comparing the performance of equities in the fund with that of a sector exchange-traded fund.
Alexion Pharma and Carnival Among Stocks Billionaire Ray Dalio Added in Q4 (TheStreet)
Building one of the world’s largest hedge funds is bound to bring some notice, so Ray Dalio likely is used to having people follow his stock picks. That probably doesn’t make much of a difference to him; this is the man who said of investing, “I just want to be right – I don’t care if the right answer comes from me.” Now that the 13Fs are public, we can see which stocks Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates chose as new investments in the fourth quarter of 2018. With a stock portfolio worth almost $11 billion, Bridgewater has a reputation for finding stocks set to soar.
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Outflows Persist for Hedge Funds into Q4 2018 (Preqin)
Outflows continued for hedge funds in Q4 2018 for the third consecutive quarter. Investors withdrew a net $45.1bn from the industry, leading to net outflows of $33.9bn in 2018, the highest annual outflow witnessed since 2016 (-$109.8bn). Accompanied by poor performance across the industry, these capital withdrawals have culminated in industry assets under management (AUM) shrinking to $3.45tn, a reduction of 3.5% since the end of 2017. Industry outflows in Q4 were predominantly driven by both equity (-$20.9bn) and CTA strategies (-$21.3bn), which recorded the highest outflows across any top-level strategy tracked by Preqin.
SS&C Appoints Joseph Maxwell as Technology Head of Hedge Fund Administration Business (GuruFocus)
WINDSOR, Conn., Feb. 21, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — SS&C Technologies Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: SSNC), today announced the appointment of Joseph Maxwell as Technology Head of SS&C GlobeOp’s Hedge Fund Administration group. Joe will lead the company’s hedge fund technology and architecture behind the world’s #1 fund administration business.
Podcast: 5 Surprising Investing Moves Buffett Made As Stocks Fell (Benzinga)
As everyone knows, the end of 2018 was rough on stock investors. It was the largest sell-off in over five years. But that also means it brought a buying opportunity for those who had the guts to jump in and buy their favorite names on sale. But what about the most famous value investor of them all? Was Warren Buffett buying stocks in his Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK-A) (NYSE: BRK-B) portfolio in the fourth quarter? The 13-Fs are in, and there are some surprising results in Berkshire’s filing.
Navient Tumbles After Hedge Fund Canyon Withdraws ‘Expression of Interest’ (TheStreet)
Navient Corp. (NAVI) declined 5.4% to $11.98 on Thursday after hedge fund Canyon Capital Advisors LLC withdrew its “expression of interest” to acquire the servicer of student loans. In a statement, Canyon said it “does not intend to participate in any acquisition process at this time.” Canyon said, however, that it will instead propose a minority slate of independent candidates for election at Navient’s next annual meeting “to bring a fresh perspective and oversight to Navient’s strategic direction, about which Canyon has significant concerns as a shareholder of over 10% of Navient’s outstanding common stock.”
Somewhere, David Einhorn Is Reading “Consumer Reports” Like Teenage David Einhorn Used To Read “Playboy” (DealBreaker)
When Tesla gets punched, Ackmania is one hell of a drug. Hey, have you guys seen Consumer Reports today? JK, of course, you haven’t. Well, here’s a taste: Consumer Reports can no longer recommend the newest Tesla—the Model 3 electric sedan—because members say they’ve identified a number of problems with their cars, including issues with its body hardware, as well as paint and trim. CR members reported these results in our annual reliability survey, which includes data on about 470,000 vehicles. Believe it or not, this recommendation is an enormous deal for Tesla. So losing it, well, that’s not great for Tesla.
Hedge Funds, After A Record Short Position, Could Boost The Gold Rally (Investors.com)
Gold’s rally could have further to run if hedge fund managers ramp up bullish bets after last year’s extended big short. The metal soared to a 10-month high of $1,346.80 an ounce on Wednesday as a mounting chorus warns of an imminent slowdown in global growth. Yet the fast money has largely missed this uptrend. On the heels of their record short, money managers remain only modestly allocated to the metal, according to futures positioning data from the end of January, delayed by the recent U.S. government shutdown.
