Top 300 Hedge Funds Get Bigger, Nearly Surpass $750 Billion AUM Mark

Date: Monday, July 16, 2012
Author: HedgeTracker

The Top 300 US Equity Hedge Funds have seen their assets increase by more than $110 billion, or 6.75%, since the beginning of 2012. Overall, the top U.S. equity hedge funds manage a combined $746 billion in equity assets. On an absolute basis, 33 managers saw their US equity assets increase in excess of $1 Billion over the first quarter of 2012. The biggest gainers included Two Sigma Investments, D.E. Shaw & Co, Renaissance Technologies Corporation, and SAC Capital Advisors.

Notable asset gains also propelled several hedge funds into the upper tiers of the list. Among the top hedge funds that moved up significantly in the rankings was technology focused Criterion Capital Management (145 spots), multi-strategy manager Absolute Return Capital (139 spots), and long/short equity manager Ascend Capital (108 spots).

More than 20 hedge funds were new additions to the top 300 list this quarter. Among the newcomers are several emerging managers, which were founded over last few years, including #195 Corvex Management, #241 Bronson Point Partners, #290 Vollero Beach Capital Partners and #294 Route One Investment Co. Bronson Point Partners, which employs a long/short equity strategy, was founded in 2009 by Larry Foley and Paul Farrell. Prior to forming Bronson Point, Foley was a senior portfolio manager at SAC Capital, while Farrell co-managed Pequot Capital Management’s Scout Fund Group. The firm launched its first hedge fund in 2010 and now oversees $639 Million in equity assets.

Regionally, New York City Hedge Funds maintained their dominance as the center of the hedge fund universe with the greatest share of assets under management (nearly 51%). The other major hedge fund hubs represented on the list include Greenwich/Stamford/Westport, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco.

The top 300 hedge fund rankings are compiled on a quarterly basis using hedge fund firms’ overall U.S. equity assets under management. To view the Top 100, Top 200 and Top 300 Hedge Fund lists in their entirety, please visit our Top Hedge Fund List portal.