A hedge fund is a pooled investment fund that trades in relatively liquid assets and is able to make extensive use of more complex trading, portfolio-construction and risk management techniques in an attempt to improve performance, such as short selling, leverage, and derivatives. Financial regulators generally restrict hedge fund marketing to institutional investors, high net worth individuals and others who are considered sufficiently sophisticated.
An investment bank is a financial services company or corporate division that engages in advisory-based financial transactions on behalf of individuals, corporations, and governments. Traditionally associated with corporate finance, such a bank might assist in raising financial capital by underwriting or acting as the client's agent in the issuance of securities. An investment bank may also assist companies involved in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and provide ancillary services such as market making, trading of derivatives and equity securities, and FICC services. Most investment banks maintain prime brokerage and asset management departments in conjunction with their investment research businesses. As an industry, it is broken up into the Bulge Bracket, Middle Market, and boutique market.
Private equity (PE) typically refers to investment funds, generally organized as limited partnerships, that buy and restructure companies. More formally, private equity is a type of equity and one of the asset classes consisting of equity securities and debt in operating companies that are not publicly traded on a stock exchange.
Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. In 2019, Blackstone converted from a publicly traded partnership into a C-type corporation.
D. E. Shaw & Co., L.P. is a multinational investment management firm founded in 1988 by David E. Shaw and based in New York City. The company is known for developing complicated mathematical models and sophisticated computer programs to exploit anomalies in the financial market. D. E. Shaw & Co. manages $55 billion in AUM, $35 billion of which are alternative investments and the remaining $20 billion long-oriented investments. In 2018, Institutional Investor reported that among hedge funds, D. E. Shaw & Co. had delivered the fifth-highest returns in the world since its inception.
PIMCO is a global investment management firm focusing on active fixed income management. PIMCO manages investments in many asset classes such as fixed income, equities, commodities, asset allocation, ETFs, hedge funds, and private equity. PIMCO is one of the largest investment managers, actively managing more than $2.21 trillion in assets for central banks, sovereign wealth funds, pension funds, corporations, foundations and endowments, and individual investors around the world. PIMCO is headquartered in Newport Beach, California, and has over 2,900 employees working in 17 offices throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
Fortress Investment Group is an American investment management firm based in New York City. Fortress was founded as a private equity firm in 1998 by Wes Edens, Rob Kauffman, and Randal Nardone. When Fortress launched on the NYSE in February 2007, it was the first large private equity firm in the US to be traded publicly. As of June 30, 2020, the firm manages approximately $45.5 billion alternative assets in private equity, liquid hedge funds and credit funds.
An alternative investment is an investment in any asset class excluding stocks, bonds, and cash. The term is a relatively loose one and includes tangible assets such as precious metals, collectibles and some financial assets such as real estate, commodities, private equity, distressed securities, hedge funds, exchange funds, carbon credits, venture capital, film production, financial derivatives, cryptocurrencies, and non-fungible tokens. Investments in real estate, forestry and shipping are also often termed "alternative" despite the ancient use of such real assets to enhance and preserve wealth. Alternative investments are to be contrasted with traditional investments.
Apollo Global Management, Inc. is a global alternative investment management firm. It invests in credit, private equity, and real assets. As of December 31, 2020, the company had $455.5 billion of assets under management, including $328.6 billion invested in credit, including mezzanine capital, hedge funds, non-performing loans and collateralized loan obligations, $80.7 billion invested in private equity, and $46.2 billion invested in real assets, which includes real estate and infrastructure. The company invests money on behalf of pension funds, financial endowments and sovereign wealth funds, as well as other institutional and individual investors. Since inception in 1990, private equity funds managed by Apollo have produced a 24% internal rate of return (IRR) to investors, net of fees.
Farallon Capital Management, L.L.C. is an American investment firm that manages capital on behalf of institutions and individuals. The firm was founded by Tom Steyer in 1986. Headquartered in San Francisco, California, the firm employs approximately 230 professionals in eight countries around the world.
Trilantic Capital Partners (Trilantic) is a global private equity firm focused on control and significant minority investments across a range of industries in North America and Europe managed by Trilantic North America and Trilantic Europe. The firm specializes in management buyouts, recapitalizations, growth equity, middle market investments and corporate divestitures investments. Trilantic invests through equity and equity-linked securities transactions.
GCM Grosvenor is an alternative asset management firm, with over $59 billion in assets under management and approximately 500 professionals.
Highbridge Capital Management, LLC is a multi-strategy alternative investment management firm founded by Glenn Dubin and Henry Swieca in 1992. In 2004, it was purchased by JPMorgan Chase; as of 2019, it had about $3.9 billion in assets under management, out of $150 billion in JPMorgan's global alternatives division.
Pine River Capital Management L.P. is an asset management firm. The firm trades stocks, fixed income, derivatives and warrants. As of 2018 the company manages approximately US$7 billion across three actively managed platforms: hedge funds, managed accounts and listed investment vehicles to support a number of strategies including interest rates, mortgages, equity long/short, event-driven equity, and global convertible bond arbitrage. The company is currently managed by founder and CEO Brian Taylor and 6 partners.
Gramercy Funds Management is an investment manager dedicated to emerging markets.
Eaton Partners is a global placement agent that assists in raising capital for funds managed by some of the largest private equity firms, hedge funds, real assets and real estate funds in the world. The firm is also one of the oldest placement agents in the private funds industry. Eaton Partners raises capital primarily from institutional investors including private and public pension funds, endowment funds, family offices, fund of funds, foundations and other large pools of money that invest in alternative asset classes.
Atlantic Investment Management is a global alternative investment firm founded in 1988 by Alexander J. Roepers (“Alex”). Atlantic has 29 employees worldwide with offices in New York City and Tokyo. As of August 2021, the firm had $1.9 billion in assets under management.
Glenview Capital Management is a hedge fund founded in 2000 with approximately $7.7 billion of capital under management as of March 2019. Glenview manages capital for investors through a series of private investment funds. The firm was founded by Larry Robbins, the firm's CEO and portfolio manager, and is based in New York.
Ospraie Management, LLC is a New York City-based investment management firm that invests in commodities and basic industries worldwide across public and private markets. The company, through its venture arm, makes agriculture-focused investments that seek to reduce environmental impact.
York Capital Management is a global institutional investment management firm with approximately $18.5 billion in assets under management as of June 2019. The firm was founded in 1991 by Jamie Dinan.
