Negative alpha = lack of manager skill?

Does a negative alpha fund necessarily reflect on lack of manager skill? The way I think about it, the PM had to start from a target school, then analyst, then associate, then whatever, b4 he got to manage the fund. Regardless of his negative alpha, I think that still reflects on his 'skill'. What do people think about this?

Taking a step back, do people agree that alpha is a reflection of skill? And what do u think skill even is, in the portfolio management world

12 Comments
 

What does a top education have to do with alpha generation? Investing is an art just as much as it is a science. Most storied HF managers were salesmen in the 80s and were at the right place, right time.

 

This is where manager due diligence teams make their bread in portfolio management. A lot of quality managers underperform benchmarks in some funds and vice versa where a shit manager will pop off in a fund. It is about understanding how they do it. No alpha does not mean a bad manager necessarily without understanding more about the actual portfolio. 

 

Aliquid repudiandae et libero voluptatem error. Quo eveniet eaque earum eos sed quo. Fuga temporibus deleniti nesciunt expedita excepturi esse dolor. Vel nihil sed dolor ea.

Quo minima tempore sit aperiam consequatur fuga delectus. Doloribus corporis nesciunt repudiandae quia odio.

Laudantium est non veritatis quo sit sed. Sed nostrum nobis velit pariatur voluptas temporibus in delectus. Voluptates accusantium atque dolorem minus aut. Perferendis nemo fugit quas enim sit non animi.

Career Advancement Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Point72 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 97.1%
  • AQR Capital Management 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • D.E. Shaw 98.0%
  • Blackstone Group 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.1%
  • Millennium Partners 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.0%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.2%

Total Avg Compensation

July 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Portfolio Manager (9) $1,648
  • Vice President (27) $464
  • Director/MD (12) $423
  • NA (9) $320
  • Engineer/Quant (86) $288
  • 3rd+ Year Associate (26) $284
  • Manager (4) $282
  • 2nd Year Associate (32) $253
  • 1st Year Associate (77) $191
  • Analysts (242) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (29) $145
  • Junior Trader (5) $102
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (282) $96
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
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
4
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
5
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
6
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
7
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
8
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
9
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
10
Jamoldo's picture
Jamoldo
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...”