Today's Hedge Funds Pulse
Paul Tudor Jones places $8 bn volatility bet on U.S. small‑cap stocks
Billionaire hedge fund manager Paul Tudor Jones has filed an $8 bn options position linked to the iShares Russell 2000 ETF. The structure includes roughly $5.1 bn of puts and $3 bn of calls, forming a volatility‑focused straddle that signals expectations of large price swings in U.S. small‑cap equities rather than a directional bet.
Tom Steyer’s Hedge Fund Draws Fire Over Private‑Prison Ties
Tom Steyer’s hedge fund is being criticized by former Rep. Katie Porter for its stakes in private‑prison operators that contract with ICE. The controversy spotlights the reputational risk hedge funds face when their portfolios intersect with politically sensitive sectors.
Funds Dump Brent as US‑Iran Talks Spur Price Dip Expectations
Brent sees fund sales as diplomacy intensifies Investors realised profits from bullish long positions and started to accumulate bearish short ones last week, anticipating a further fall in Brent prices as the United States and Iran conducted face-to-face talks to find...
Success Comes From Trading When Others Stay Silent
Howard Marks built one of the greatest track records in investing history. Not because he was smarter. Because he was lonelier. When Oaktree bought distressed debt nobody wanted, it wasn't genius, it was distance. From the crowd. From the narrative. From the...
Hedge Funds Are Back in Favour. Getting an Allocation Is Another Matter
Hedge funds are regaining favor as volatility and market dispersion rise, but allocating to them now demands stricter criteria. UBP’s Kier Boley outlines a new allocation framework that separates passive beta, strategy alpha and unique alpha, insisting on differentiated returns....
Asia Hedge Funds Hit with Loses Prior to Ceasefire
Asian hedge funds recorded broad losses in March as the US‑Israel‑Iran conflict sparked sharp market swings. Macro‑focused funds such as Trivest Advisors’ China strategy fell over 10%, the steepest monthly drop on record, while equity‑oriented funds slipped mid‑single‑digit percentages. Despite...
Hedge Fund Hiring Wars Escalate as “Interception Trades” Drive Record Pay Packages
Hedge funds are intensifying talent wars by intercepting candidates who have already accepted rival offers, a practice dubbed “interception trades.” Compensation for star traders has surged, with some packages topping $100 million when guarantees and incentives are included. To curb poaching,...
Citadel HR Chief Exits
Citadel Securities' chief human‑resources officer, Karen Smith, announced her departure after six years, citing personal reasons. Smith oversaw a rapid expansion of the firm's talent pipeline, scaling the workforce from 1,200 to over 2,000 employees amid a competitive hiring market....
Sissener Bottles Its Best Ideas Into New Equity Fund
Norwegian boutique Sissener has launched a new long‑only vehicle, Sissener Equity Opportunities, aimed at professional investors. The fund concentrates on 10‑15 high‑conviction ideas, drawing heavily from the research platform of its flagship Canopus fund, with about 90% overlap in holdings....
Hedge Funds Turn Bullish on Cotton for First Time in Two Years
Hedge funds have turned net‑bullish on cotton for the first time in two years, with long positions now outnumbering shorts by 16,825 contracts as of the week ending April 14. The shift follows a surge in oil prices driven by the...
Hedge Funds Lose New Hires to ‘Gazumping’ During Gardening Leave
BIG TAKE: The hedge fund talent war has a new name: gazumping. Trader accepts a job, the firm waits months for them to finish their gardening leave and then a rival swoops in and poaches them before they ever...
Bridgewater’s Massive $253M Nvidia Bet Signals a Structural Pivot Toward the AI Infrastructure Supercycle:
Bridgewater Associates disclosed a $253 million purchase of roughly 1.35 million Nvidia shares, adding sizable stakes in Micron Technology and Oracle. The move marks a stark departure from the firm’s traditional macro‑focused, diversified approach toward a high‑conviction thematic bet on AI infrastructure....
The “Super Bowl of Earnings” Is Here: Why Hedge Funds Are Pushing Exposure to the Edge Ahead of a Defining...
Wall Street is gearing up for what’s being dubbed the “Super Bowl of Earnings,” as nearly 43% of the S&P 500 by market cap will report results in the final week of April. Hedge funds such as Citadel, Millennium and...
Hedge Fund Alpha Roars Back: Inside the Resurgence of Long-Short Equity and the “Violent Reset” Driving 2026 Performance:
Hedge fund long‑short equity strategies posted a 7.7% gain in April 2026, the strongest monthly performance in nearly a decade. The surge follows a March “violent reset” that sparked sharp sector repricing, revived dispersion, and reopened relative‑value opportunities. Multi‑strategy platforms...
Rowan Street Management Posts 19.8% Q1 Loss as Macro Volatility Surges
Rowan Street Management disclosed a 19.8% loss for the first quarter of 2026, versus a 4.3% decline in the S&P 500. The fund’s concentrated, long‑term approach amplified short‑term volatility, though internal estimates suggest a partial recovery to a 10% year‑to‑date...
J.P. Morgan Holds Blackstone at $142 Target Amid Valuation Concerns
J.P. Morgan analyst Ken Worthington maintained a Hold rating on Blackstone Group, setting a $142 price target. The rating reflects concerns over the firm's valuation relative to its recent earnings growth, even as quarterly revenue rose to $4.36 billion.
SEC and CFTC Declare Ripple a Digital Commodity, Futures AUM Tops $1.4 B
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission jointly classified Ripple (XRP) as a digital commodity, aligning it with Bitcoin and Ethereum. Futures products tied to XRP have already amassed more than $1.4 billion in assets under management,...
Is Shah Capital’s Criticism of Novavax Fair? A Wall Street Analyst Weighs In
Novavax faces renewed activist pressure as Shah Capital, a 9% shareholder, announced it will vote against the company’s board and executive compensation at the 2026 annual meeting. The hedge fund criticizes the under‑performing $22 million sales from the 2024 Sanofi partnership...
Flow Capital Tokenizes $150 Million Private Credit Fund on Singapore Blockchain
Flow Capital announced the tokenization of its $150 million private credit fund on Singapore’s DigiFT platform, creating digital ownership tokens and planning to raise an additional $30 million through equity tokens. The move, hailed as Asia’s largest private‑credit tokenization, could reshape how...
Tech Cuts Tiger-Cub Teams From 100 to 15
In the 1995-2010 era, it took a lot of bodies to run a scaled Tiger-Cub strategy. 100+ headcount was common across research, back office & trading (starting in '08, I was one of a large research team) Largely due to technology,...
Morningstar Finds Private Credit Resilient, Unlikely to Spark Crisis
Morningstar’s latest analysis concludes that private‑credit funds, backed by 65%‑80% equity cushions and over $1 trillion in assets, are far less prone to trigger a financial crisis than traditional banks. The findings reassure hedge funds that allocate to private credit and...
Bill Ackman Targets $10 B Capital Commitment for Summer Stock Purchases via Pershing Square USA IPO
Billionaire investor Bill Ackman announced a $10 billion capital target for Pershing Square USA, a new closed‑end fund that will raise money this summer to back a concentrated stock‑picking strategy. The offering includes a “buy‑5‑get‑1‑free” incentive that gives retail investors a...
UBS Urges Hedge Funds to Keep Portfolios Resilient as US‑Iran Deal Optimism Lifts Markets
UBS told hedge funds to prioritize portfolio resilience after a surge in global equities sparked by US President Donald Trump's optimism about a US‑Iran deal. The bank cautioned against sudden allocation changes and highlighted hedging, quality bonds, and structured strategies...
Hedge Funds Hold Record 8% of U.S. Treasuries, Apollo Warns of Shockwave Risk
Apollo Global Management’s chief economist disclosed that hedge funds now own a record 8% of the $31 trillion U.S. Treasury market, backed by over $6 trillion of leveraged capital. The warning highlights the danger that a rapid unwind could send shockwaves through...
Sara‑Bay Financial Puts $12 Million Into MercadoLibre, Raising Stake to 3.36%
Sara‑Bay Financial bought an additional 6,288 MercadoLibre shares worth about $12.13 million in Q1 2026, boosting its ownership to 3.36% of its reportable assets. The move makes MercadoLibre the firm’s ninth‑largest holding and underscores optimism about e‑commerce growth in Latin America.
Hedge Funds Post 7.7% April Gain, Best Monthly Return Since 2016
Equity long/short hedge funds posted a 7.7% month‑to‑date gain in April 2026, the best monthly performance since early 2016, according to a Goldman Sachs report. The surge follows a March sell‑off triggered by the Iran conflict and marks a decisive...
CNBC Anchor Slams NYC Mayor Over Pied‑à‑Terre Tax Video at Ken Griffin’s $238 M Penthouse
CNBC anchor Sara Eisen publicly criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for filming a promotional video about a new pied‑à‑terre tax outside hedge‑fund billionaire Ken Griffin’s $238 million penthouse. The clash spotlights the tension between city tax policy and the...
Cohen & Steers Posts Q1 2026 Earnings, Highlights 40% Compensation Ratio and $497 M Net Inflows
Cohen & Steers (CNS) posted Q1 2026 results showing a 40% compensation ratio, $497 million of net inflows and 86% of AUM beating benchmarks. Management said fee rates remain stable while the unfunded pipeline holds $1.7 billion of "good velocity" for future...
Bill Ackman's $64 Billion UMG Bid Faces Veto From French Billionaire Vincent Bolloré
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square has launched a $64 billion offer to merge with Universal Music Group, but French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, who holds a 28% stake, can block the deal. Ackman says securing Bolloré’s support is essential, while analysts warn the showdown...
Braun Stacey Associates Inc. Has $208.07 Million Position in NVIDIA Corporation $NVDA
Braun Stacey Associates trimmed its NVIDIA position by 1.1%, selling 12,744 shares and holding 1,115,635 shares worth roughly $208 million, still the fund’s largest holding at 6.7% of its portfolio. Other institutional investors such as State Street, Geode Capital, Norges Bank,...
Eli Lilly and Company $LLY Shares Acquired by Freestone Capital Holdings LLC
Freestone Capital Holdings LLC increased its Eli Lilly stake by 5.1% in Q4, adding 1,384 shares to hold 28,539 shares worth roughly $30.7 million. The position now accounts for 0.9% of Freestone’s portfolio, making Lilly its 19th largest holding. Institutional ownership of...
Ackman’s Pershing Square USA Offers Retail ‘Buy‑5‑Get‑1’ Deal in $10 Billion Fund Launch
Bill Ackman is opening Pershing Square USA to retail investors with a public offering priced at $50 per share. The fund targets $10 billion in assets and adds a “buy five shares, get one free” incentive that grants an extra share...
Weaver Capital Trims $3.9 Million From Strive 500 ETF, Cutting S&P 500 Exposure
Weaver Capital Management sold roughly $3.9 million worth of the Strive 500 ETF in the first quarter, cutting its holding to 277,643 shares or 2.53% of its 13F assets. The move reflects a modest rebalancing rather than a bearish view on...
JPMorgan Chase & Co. $JPM Shares Sold by Brookwood Investment Group LLC
Brookwood Investment Group LLC reduced its JPMorgan Chase stake by 47.4%, selling 4,621 shares and leaving a holding worth about $1.65 million. Meanwhile, several large institutions—including Legal & General, Fisher Asset Management and Invesco—expanded their positions, collectively owning over $18 billion of...
Breakthru Advisory Sells $5.9 M of Defiance Quantum ETF After 75% Gain
Breakthru Advisory Services disclosed a $5.89 million sale of 51,465 shares of the Defiance Quantum ETF (QTUM) in an April 16 SEC filing. The move comes after QTUM surged 75% over the past year, reducing the fund to just 0.33% of...
Modeling Prices Sparked Quantitative Revolution Behind Medallion
“There must be a way to model the price. There must be a way to model the movement of stocks." — Jim Simons Simons reportedly said this to his partner, Jim Ax, during the early days of Monemetrics (the precursor to...
Goldman Exec Says Market Demands Proof Before Moving
JUST IN: The market now requires solid proof before moving, as a Goldman hedge fund executive shares his trade strategy during the ongoing turmoil.
Systematic Hedge Funds Add $86 B to Equities as Iran Tensions Ease
Systematic hedge funds pumped $86 billion into global equities over the past five trading sessions as Iran‑related geopolitical risk eased, according to a Goldman Sachs note cited by Reuters. The surge, driven by momentum‑focused CTAs, could extend another $70 billion in buying...
Hedge Funds’ Record Treasury Bets Risk Sending ‘Shockwaves’ Through the Global Bond Market, Apollo Says
Hedge funds now own roughly 8% of the $31 trillion U.S. Treasury market, the highest share on record, according to Apollo Global Management. Their positions are heavily leveraged, backed by about $6 trillion in repo and prime‑brokerage funding. Apollo’s chief economist warns...
Ashmore Sees $900 Million Outflows as Middle‑East Tensions Hit Emerging‑Market Assets
Ashmore Group disclosed $900 million of net client withdrawals in the March quarter, driving assets under management down 3% to $50.7 billion. The outflows stem from heightened volatility in the Middle‑East, which is prompting investors to curb new allocations to emerging‑market strategies.
Why Genius Is No Longer Enough
The hedge‑fund myth that a single genius trader drives alpha is eroding. Recent examples—BlueCrest, Soros, Druckenmiller, Paulson—show top managers moving to internal capital or family offices to eliminate client‑fund constraints. Aligning capital, removing redemption risk, and redesigning incentives now provide...
Goldman Sachs Rates Traders’ Slip Fuels Hedge Funds’ Hunt for Elite Portfolio Managers
Goldman Sachs’ high‑paid rates traders misjudged interest‑rate and tech trends in the first quarter, triggering a 10% drop in the bank’s fixed‑income revenue and igniting a talent scramble among hedge funds. At the same time, April’s hedge‑fund performance—its best month...
WESPAC Advisors Puts $5.7 Million Into JPMorgan International Value ETF
WESPAC Advisors SoCal, LLC disclosed a new $5.71 million position in JPMorgan International Value ETF (JIVE), acquiring 66,248 shares. The stake accounts for about 1.21% of the firm’s reportable assets, highlighting a fresh institutional vote for international value stocks as the...
Ken Griffin Warns Prolonged Hormuz Shutdown Could Trigger Global Recession
Citadel founder Ken Griffin warned that a sustained shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would force the global economy into a recession, citing oil prices hovering above $100 a barrel. His stark outlook, delivered at the Semafor World Economy conference,...
Goldman Predicts $70B CTA Buying, Foreshadows Market Rally
Stunning chart and comments from GS: - CTAs bought more than $86Bn in global equities over the past five sessions — one of the biggest buying sprees on record. - *My notes*: remember GS’ trading desk *projected* this would happen, one week...
Record Treasury Leverage Threatens Global Fixed‑Income Stability
Hedge Fund Leverage in Treasuries at Record Highs. Torsten at Apollo ...any forced unwinding of these leveraged positions could send shockwaves through global fixed-income markets. https://t.co/vtq5KWmWLE
Ackman's $64B Universal Music Bid Meets Resistance From French Billionaire Bolloré
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square has launched a $64 billion takeover proposal for Universal Music Group, but the deal hinges on the consent of French billionaire Vincent Bolloré, who controls 28% of the company. Ackman says early talks with Bolloré’s son were “intriguing,”...
CTA / Trend Following ETFs: Access, Implementation, and the Question of Completeness
Jerry Parker notes that trend‑following ETFs have moved beyond a narrow focus on liquid futures to incorporate a much wider set of assets, including foreign exchange, commodities, equities, fixed‑income securities and even digital assets. This broader market breadth mirrors the...
The 24/7 Market Revolution: How Crypto Funds Are Redefining Equity and Commodity Trading:
Crypto‑native hedge funds, originally built to trade digital assets around the clock, are expanding into traditional equities and commodities. By repurposing their 24/7 trading infrastructure, they aim to capture price inefficiencies that arise outside standard market hours. The move is...
Hedge Funds Boost Short‑Dollar Bets Ahead of US‑Iran Talks
Hedge funds have increased net short‑dollar exposure as renewed diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran raise expectations of a softer dollar. Bloomberg highlighted the shift, noting that the move reflects a broader tactical pivot toward currency plays. The...
Bridgewater Adds 15,968 Shares of Dimensional International High Profitability ETF to Portfolio
Bridgewater Advisors Inc. bought 15,968 shares of the Dimensional International High Profitability ETF (DIHP), a move that may reshape macro‑hedge fund positioning. The purchase, announced on April 15, 2026, adds a sizable exposure to non‑U.S. large‑cap equities selected for higher...