Salt Asia to bring out an international flavour (AsianInvestor)
Hedge fund managers are often viewed as living life in the fast lane, so perhaps it is apt this year’s SkyBridge Alternatives Conference, or Salt, in Singapore follows the city’s Formula 1 event. Salt, which made its debut in Singapore last year, returns on September 24-27 with a more international flavour, with scheduled speakers that include former US treasury secretary Tim Geithner, ex-European Central Bank president Jean-Claude Trichet and The Black Swan author Nassim Taleb. About 1,000 fund managers, investors and finance professionals are expected to attend this year’s event.
Options growing for capital-starved Asian hedge funds (AsianInvestor)
Asia’s start-up and smaller hedge funds face a challenging fundraising and operating environment, but there are a growing number of options available to them, according to industry executives. “The capital-raising environment is fairly tough for the hedge fund industry as a whole,” says Max Gottschalk, chief executive of fund of hedge fund firm Gottex Penjing Asset Management. During a panel discussion at the Hedge Funds World Asia conference in Hong Kong yesterday, Gottschalk noted that 90% of inflows to hedge funds on a global basis are going to managers with more than $500 million in AUM.
Jim Rogers: Gold to jump due to U.S. desperation to have a war (DigitalJournal)
United States President Barack Obama and officials within the administration are beating the drums of war. How will this affect the markets, specifically commodities like gold and oil? …If an attack occurs then expect commodities to rise, according to legendary investors Jim Rogers and Marc Faber. Rogers, speaking in an interview with Reuters, suggested that oil and gold could go “much, much higher” because the U.S. is “desperate to have a war.”
Dr Marc Faber To Speak At Midf Exclusive Seminar (Bernama)
The MIDF Amanah Investment Bank Bhd (MIDF Investment) will invite renowned investment advisor and fund manager, Dr Marc Faber, to speak at its exclusive investment seminar. Entitled “Listening from the Guru”, the seminar was part of its continuous effort to showcase leading market leaders and captains of industries to share their knowledge and experiences with the investment fraternity. “The seminar is to provide a high impact and a value-added platform, especially for Malaysian companies,” the investment bank said in a statement.
Tech fund Coatue leads $45 mln funding into startup HotelTonight (Reuters)
Technology hedge fund Coatue Management has led a $45 million funding round into accommodation service HotelTonight, the latest example of the burgeoning interest among hedge funds in Silicon Valley start-ups. HotelTonight, which allows travelers using smartphones to book rooms at the last minute, plans to use the cash to further expand around the world, including Asia. It announced the news in a press release. The founders aim to boost discretionary hotel stays, in which a guest did not necessarily need to stay in a hotel. That market currently represents just 15 percent of the hotel market, said HotelTonight co-founder Sam Shenk in an interview Tuesday, but he believes it could rise to about 25 percent over the next few years.
