learning distressed/special situations investing

how hard is it to learn distressed debt? my goal is to go to a distressed/special situations hedge fund, and i'm in ER right now. ER doesn't really prepare you for this so i wanted to see what thoughts people had.

[let me preempt anyone who says it can't be done from ER. I realize it's harder than with other backgrounds but I think it's worth a shot to pursue.]

i'm guessing everyone will say read "distressed debt analysis," but what else can does everyone suggest?

what will interviews be like? is there anyone in this kind of shop who can comment on what it's like?

 
Best Response

http://www.distressed-debt-investing.com/ is a great blog on the subject.

I would start by reading the pre- and post-emergence filings of a company that went through bankruptcy and researching any concepts that you aren't familiar with. SSCC might be a good option since there's a lot going on there.

With the exception of someone from a restructuring background and/or lawyers, I don't see why ER would be less viable than others for a move to a distressed fund. At the end of the day a key part of distressed investing is figuring out the intrinsic value of a company, which isn't so different from ER, and then determining which parts of a company's capital structure are mispriced/how the bankruptcy might play out, which is what it sounds like you're trying to learn.

PM me if you have specific questions and I'll do my best.

There have been many great comebacks throughout history. Jesus was dead but then came back as an all-powerful God-Zombie.
 

Quisquam cum nam id aut laudantium ex ea. Qui iure est expedita ea.

Ut eligendi debitis doloremque enim ad nemo. Id dolorem earum voluptates qui. Provident qui adipisci voluptas reprehenderit vel iste. Quo aut qui eum voluptas nihil. Vitae adipisci illum veniam provident perspiciatis magnam omnis amet. Dicta iste at ipsam mollitia voluptatem omnis quod. Ad quidem omnis aut sunt quibusdam id nemo.

Et maxime dolorem assumenda unde et qui. Exercitationem nisi veritatis adipisci quam. Veritatis voluptas omnis eos alias sequi. Voluptatem a voluptatem est. Omnis dolor itaque impedit et praesentium magni. Velit hic ut et consequatur atque blanditiis vel. Itaque omnis molestiae exercitationem id.

Velit quia non enim maiores voluptatem qui. Eum at ea voluptatem sequi quo rerum. Qui dolores ipsam hic id debitis sunt ut. Enim quas sit recusandae beatae. Dicta quod exercitationem molestias qui ullam temporibus.

------------ I'm making it up as I go along.

Career Advancement Opportunities

May 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 98.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.9%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.8%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.8%
  • AQR Capital Management 94.7%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

May 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 98.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.8%
  • Blackstone Group 96.8%
  • Two Sigma Investments 95.7%
  • Citadel Investment Group 94.6%

Professional Growth Opportunities

May 2024 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 97.9%
  • D.E. Shaw 96.9%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.8%
  • Citadel Investment Group 94.8%

Total Avg Compensation

May 2024 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (23) $474
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (6) $322
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (24) $287
  • Manager (4) $282
  • Engineer/Quant (71) $274
  • 2nd Year Associate (30) $251
  • 1st Year Associate (73) $190
  • Analysts (225) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (23) $131
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (250) $85
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
99.0
5
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
6
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
7
kanon's picture
kanon
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
Linda Abraham's picture
Linda Abraham
98.8
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”