43. Hedge Fund Investing 101: Point / Counterpoint

The news --- and the finmeme space --- has been abuzz with headlines talking about hedge fund returns (or lack thereof) in 2023.  In a year when the S&P500 was up nearly 25%, the NASDAQ up nearly 50%, and risk free fixed income investments yielded 5%, most hedge fund returns look disappointing by comparison AT A GLANCE.  But is there more to the story?  Comedian and brilliant financial mind Anish Mitra joins us for this friendly debate.In this episode, we explain why institutional investors invest in hedge funds, why they are to willing to pay steep management fees for returns that are uncorrelated to the market as a whole, and how to think about hedge fund (or any kind of returns) in the appropriate context.  We also introduce the concept of Sharpe Ratios, a risk measure we will do a deep dive on in the future.  Follow us on Instagram and Tik Tok at @thewallstreetskinnyhttps://www.instagram.com/thewallstreetskinny/