Hedge fund flows chase alpha, yet they also follow returns attributable to traditional and exotic risk exposures. Investors appear more cognizant of exotic risks over time, with flows increasing their relative emphasis on returns from exotic betas in recent years. Investors also discriminate...

CAPM alpha explains hedge fund flows better than alphas from more sophisticated models. This suggests that investors pool together sophisticated model alpha with returns from exposures to traditional (except for the market) and exotic risks. We decompose performance into traditional and exotic...

Hedge funds are dynamic, versatile, opaque, and, according to BarclayHedge, their assets under management have nearly doubled from $2.6 trillion in 2015 to $4.9 trillion in 2021. In the recent decade, whether hedge funds have delivered superior performance is in debate. Researchers conclude...