The Jolly Contrarian’s Glossary
The snippy guide to financial services lingo.™
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We define a hedge fund as a couple of guys with a bright idea and a rented office in Mayfair.

The Oxford English Dictionary says it is an “offshore investment fund, typically formed as a private limited partnership, that engages in speculation using credit or borrowed capital.”

That neglects to mention how much they charge, or that they talk a lot about alpha — even leveraged alpha — and have the back-tests to prove it — while doing a lot of vega.

Vega, by the way, is not a drug.[1] In fairness, in speaking of credit and borrowed capital, it does nod in Vega’s direction.

Hedge funds hang out with

See also

References

  1. OR IS IT? For those pursuing yield return, the lure of leverage can be a little addictive, which may or may not be a plot point in Hunter Barkley’s forthcoming novel The ISDA Protocol.