Locust

The Jolly Contrarian’s Glossary The snippy guide to financial services lingo.™ →Go uptown Index — Click the ᐅ to expand: Glossary Tell me more Sign up for our newsletter — or just get in touch: for ½ a weekly 🍺 you get to consult JC. Ask about it here.

In the German political vernacular, eine heuschrecke (a “locust”) is a hedge fund, and in particular a private equity firm.

First used by Social Democrat Franz Müntefering when he demanded, as long ago as November 2004, that his party:

“... must help companies acting in the interest of their future and the future of their employees against irresponsible locust swarms, who measure success in quarterly intervals, suck off substance and let companies die once they have eaten them bare.”

Just as well he wasn’t a Christian Democrat — a plague of locusts is not a good sign for people of that disposition.

Trivia point: there is a hedge fund called Locust Wood Capital LLC, which not only tips its hat to Herr Müntefering and his unfortunate double entendres, it sounds like it comes out of one of those hedge fund name generator algorithms.

See also

• Hedge fund
• Hooker
• Apocalyspe