Trending Content
Career Resources
WSO Free Modeling Series - Now Open Through
April 30, 2024
9 Free Financial Modeling Lessons
Get instant access to lessons taught by experienced private equity pros and bulge bracket investment bankers including financial statement modeling, DCF, M&A, LBO, Comps and Excel Modeling.
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
+Bonus: Get 27 financial modeling templates in swipe file
Martin Shkreli
The Renaissance guys
Simons, Mercer, and Brown are all respected academics as well.
Yes, Rentec.
Cohen boyyy
Got that big SAC
Ray Dalio
Yeah, it depends. I go on Insider Monkey about twice a week and check the hedge fund performance. Here's the link: Insider Monkey - Hedge Fund Performance
Although these results change quarterly I believe.
John Scully
.
Seth Klarman Paul Singer
Just to name a few: Stanley Druckenmiller, George Soros, Michael Steinhardt, David Tepper, Paul Tudor Jones, Steve Cohen, James Simons, and Peter Lynch (mutual fund manager, I know, but it's kind of hard not to mention him).
James Simons is the GOAT.
Jim Simons is my idol. He's the world's smartest billionaire and best money manager.
His fund, RenTech, is a pioneer in quant trading. "Renaissance's flagship Medallion fund, which is run mostly for fund employees, "is famed for one of the best records in investing history, returning more than 35 percent annualized over a 20-year span". From 1994 through mid-2014 it averaged a 71.8% annual return."
"From 2001 through 2013, the fund’s worst year was a 21 percent gain, after subtracting fees. Medallion reaped a 98.2 percent gain in 2008, the year the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index lost 38.5 percent."
GOAT
This is definitely exaggerated no fund returns like that.
Yeah but all the funds that are open to outside money that rentec manages routinely suck ass.
Bobby Axelrod
Axe is definitely the best in the HF game. I am not uncertain of this.
This.
Closely followed by $ Bill.
That new 11 girl is comin up
God damn it you beat me to it.
Paul Tudor Jones. Love his candor. Hear out his "anti female" belief in 2013. Epic (and somewhat true).
Oh, and he puts on the best holiday light shows. His house in Greenwich -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auJEG63GJHw
He makes a decent point. Most of the best traders are sociopaths to the screens. I think theirs a drunkenmiller quote about getting asked to go on a golfing trip when he was in his 60-70’s. He turned it down since he had to stare at screens. Then later realized how dumb it was of a billionaire not giving up the game and enjoying life.
Maybe you can do a fundamental equity type gig. But to be a market timer having a child versus being focused on the markets would be difficult.
Considering he is 64, I’d be impressed if that quote was from his 70s
Hard to really answer since there is only really public information about most of the larger AND older firms; so the easy answers are your Bridgewaters, Och-Ziff, Tudor, CQS, Citadel, Elliott, etc - and essentially every hedge fund where the founder is a Billionaire. This forum will probably miss any good managers in Asia too.
Obviously there are loads of brilliant money managers who are small and new too, but you really would have to go out of your way to find these
Raj Rajaratnam
lol, guy is a KooK
LOL
Warren Buffett
Berkshire Hathaway is essentially one massive hedge fund with a permanent capital base
Bill Ackman
Ackman - Discrectionary Simons+Griffin - Systematic
Hmmm - guess you missed the last 3 years of Ackman performance? Griffin is primarily discretionary as well
John Arnold hands down
too bad hes not in the game anymore...I follow him on twtr to glean any wisdom he might share
David Einhorn..easily one of the best minds on the street.
yeah i used to always go with Einhorn on these things but don't think i can still do that with a straight face. Guy has torched a lot of money the last few years, along with Ackman, Paulson and Berkowitz... maybe that is changing?
Yeah, Ackman especially has lit money on fire, and his refusal to exit his Valeant position definitely leaves him with an irrecoverable blemish on his record.
Einhorn has had his biffs, but overall, his strategies seem well thought out (Allied Capital short, E&P shorts in 2014 & 2015), even if Greenlight hasn't been performing as well recently.
Joseph Edelman
Historically I'd say Julian Robertson is up there
What is the major cause of the discrepancies between the net worth's of all these managers? How come someone like Peter Lynch never became a billionaire even though he had phenomenal returns (My guess is that he didn't have his own fund)? Or when I look at David Einhorn (1.35B) vs Set Klarman (1.5B) but the latter seems more experienced and has been longer in the game, and has had better returns. I know that ultimately you need to have your own fund to make the big bucks, but I don't understand some of these numbers.
fee structure, how much of their own money they used to start the fund, how many partners there are, etc....there are a lot of variables
Just contact David Einhorn and ask him why he didn't make as much as Seth Klarman.
btw has anyone read that David Einhorn book 'Fooling Some of the People All of the Time'?
Wow Klarman seems low. Wikipedia has his fund at 31 billion. 2% alone is 60 million. I would have put him in the 5-10 billion range.
Is he particularly generous to his team?
Only thing with einhorn isn’t he a bit of a one man shop? So almost all of the fees flow to him.
Maybe Baupost has lower fees as they aren’t as active trading.
Favorite Hedge Fund Manager? (Originally Posted: 03/09/2017)
Curious to see everyone's favorite hedge fund manager. Mine is Einhorn. Read his book, met him in person, and am a big fan of his research. His fund's been doing pretty shitty but the entire industry is hurting rn. Let me know
Ray Dalio for the lack of fucks given
Hugh Hendry.
Best Fund Manager/Investor/Trader of All Time? (Originally Posted: 06/29/2009)
Who's the greatest? And make a convincing case. Note I said "best" and not "most successful" (very subtle difference). Also lets focus on active management (e.g. not PE guys or corporate empire builders; lets not include anyone less active then buffet)
I'd say Jim Simons. I couldn't really do justice to the man, but check out his video lecture on algebra at MSRI.
http://www.msri.org/communications/vmath/VMathVideos/VideoInfo/3156/sho…
I was able to turn my $13,000 into a fully audited pre-tax sum of $1.65 million and it all happened into my freshman year of college.
"Said she loved my necklace, started relaxin', now that's what the fuck I call a chain reaction." —Hova
Paul Jones or Steve Cohen
Julian Robertson
I think you need to consider the strategy that each manager employs and then see how he/she does in light of the risks taken. A lot of fantastic managers have worked or work for mutual funds, pensions, endowments, etc., which aren't as sexy as HFs or high net worth wealth mgmt, but there're the bread and butter of our business.
That said, I'm inclined to agree on Julian Robertson. His success and that of his progeny - the 'Tiger Cubs' - speaks volumes on his skill.
In that case, Ken Heebner.
Are those who have blatantly made a killing on insider trading considered the best?
recently read einhorns book and really enjoyed it.
but most of the people im interested in (concentrated small cap growth) dont get famous because they dont run megafunds. they grind out juicy returns, keep things closed to new investors. more than a "lifestyle business" but not trying to vacuum up aum.
A personal favourite is definitely Paul Tudor Jones.
He's an absolutely phenomenal trader / investor - maybe not quite as stellar as Jim Simmons, but not far off. Until 2008, his worst returns over the previous 20yrs came in 1993, when he returned +1.3%. Even when he was down -4% in 2008, that included his management fee of 4%. It's rumoured that his personal book finished 20% up that year.
He has a very amiable relationship with his employees and, by all accounts, is a lovely person to work for. Following a storm in Greenwich during which a tree fell on one of his employees cars, Tudor Investment offered to pay for the damages.
He's not afraid to question received wisdom. He got his start working on the floor as a clerk before joining E.F. Hutton as a broker. Just four years later, in 1980, he started out on his own. Over 2.5yrs, he had only x2 down months, after which he allegedly began to "get bored." He applied to Harvard Business School, was accepted, but turned it down - he believed Harvard had little to teach him and that what he really craved was working with colleagues. That marked the start of Tudor Investment Corporation.
He founded the Robin Hood Foundation - a charity formed little after his career-making trade in 1987 in order to raise money to provide shelter and food to the homeless and needy. He also co-formed a $125 million commodities pool with retired LBO trader Ray Chambers, called the One to One Charitable Fund. One to One devotes most of its profits to helping disadvantaged children.
Mohnish Pabrai Joel Greenblatt
Jeff Ubben is a favourite of mine
Nobis sed enim tempora sit animi minima qui. Omnis perferendis quidem ducimus corrupti harum. Quis corrupti qui labore velit eos. Possimus nisi natus quae dolore sint asperiores. Qui magnam id quod debitis vel. Odit est consequatur aut. Rerum qui amet porro ut illo.
Rerum tenetur voluptatem aperiam explicabo. Excepturi dolor totam suscipit. Quasi optio temporibus sit eaque reprehenderit magnam alias repellat. Quaerat ex consequatur voluptatem voluptatem aliquam ut beatae.
Corporis adipisci id et ut. Enim distinctio occaecati sit. Minus in et doloremque in minima illo et.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Ut architecto cum sed velit ut blanditiis. Deleniti quis eos perspiciatis culpa vero corrupti maxime. Distinctio et et aspernatur autem perspiciatis doloribus corrupti maiores.
Nostrum doloribus quisquam aut facere dolores dolorum ducimus. Vel commodi id vero mollitia explicabo porro nulla. Est dolore ullam est. Omnis sunt minima deserunt est distinctio nihil dignissimos. Culpa sed sequi assumenda debitis magni. Veritatis libero eveniet reprehenderit temporibus autem et ipsa. Debitis blanditiis nostrum est id nisi. Doloremque ut nemo qui adipisci et eveniet voluptatem.
Libero consectetur repellat veritatis sint. Corporis vero fugiat et voluptates.
Itaque quis voluptatem minus officia recusandae rerum minima. Distinctio eligendi dolores accusamus doloribus. Omnis aliquam eum quod voluptates tempore dolor qui. Perspiciatis occaecati quas ipsa praesentium rerum eius cum.
Et non nisi rerum hic consequatur. Aut quis reiciendis commodi a sit et. Rerum nulla assumenda nemo eos. Placeat pariatur aut nemo consequatur ipsum quia.
Magni ut repellendus voluptate. Expedita quia repudiandae voluptatem neque et cumque quae. Deleniti voluptates incidunt aliquid accusamus. Itaque laudantium deleniti dolorem quibusdam. Consequatur aut quasi recusandae quibusdam molestiae pariatur maxime.
Aut labore eos voluptatem voluptatem. Voluptatibus sed possimus id omnis minus amet inventore. Voluptate quasi mollitia omnis quia molestiae. Sit architecto sit non non eos quasi.
Officiis minus velit similique harum sit vitae. Culpa architecto consequatur molestias qui harum. Eligendi ut non ut commodi. Velit quia enim nesciunt placeat. Voluptas iure quae repudiandae qui id perferendis.
Reiciendis sed consequatur a dolorum vel non nesciunt. Consequuntur repellat a quisquam error veniam. Commodi vero fugit dolor molestiae est sed ut. Et quis enim libero voluptatem sapiente esse.