We analyse and contrast the performance of discretionary and systematic hedge funds. Systematic funds use strategies that are rules-based, with little or no daily intervention by humans. In our experience, some large allocators shy away from systematic hedge funds altogether. A possible...

This paper proposes a novel database merging approach and re-examines the fundamental questions regarding hedge fund performance. Before drawing conclusions about fund performance, we form an aggregate database by exploiting all available information across and within seven commercial databases...

This paper proposes a novel database merging approach and re-examines the fundamental questions regarding hedge fund performance. Before drawing conclusions about fund performance, we form an aggregate database by exploiting all available information across and within seven commercial databases...

This paper investigates the relationship between upside potential and future hedge fund returns. We measure upside potential based on the maximum monthly returns of hedge funds (MAX) over a fixed time interval, and show that MAX successfully predicts cross-sectional differences in future fund...

This paper examines the effect of investor-level real-world investment constraints, including several which had not been studied before, on hedge fund performance and its persistence. Using a large consolidated database, we demonstrate that hedge fund performance persistence is significantly...

Standard tests for persistence in hedge fund performance are not consistent with investment practices because they ignore performance reporting delay, overlook fund selection standards of institutional investors, and often use portfolios with too many funds. This paper introduces a set of tests...

This paper studies hedge fund performance and confirms reports of an aggregate decline over the past decade. We test whether a comprehensive set of prediction models can select subsets of individual funds that buck the trend and subsequently outperform. Seven of the predictors reliably pick...

This paper examines the effect of regulatory constraints on fund performance and risk by comparing conventional and UCITS hedge funds. Using a matching estimator approach, we estimate the indirect cost of UCITS regulation to be between 1.06% and 4.05% per annum in terms of risk-adjusted returns....

The study explores the impact of sector and individual fund's size on performance. We demonstrate that alpha is related to demand for arbitrage capital as much as to its supply. Sector size affects alpha via price impact channel: larger scale depresses merger arbitrage spreads, thus lowering...

This paper is the first to present a two-stage peer group benchmarking approach to evaluate the performance of hedge funds. We present different ways of orthogonalizing the peer group benchmarks and discuss their general properties. We then orthogonalize the relevant benchmarks against...