8 Comments
 
Most Helpful

I've been on a short only team. The guys I worked with there were (unsurprisingly) substantially better at shorting than anyone I've worked with in the L/S world. I've found it to be a very valuable skillset as shorting is almost always much more difficult and any L/S PM will place a higher value on an analyst who can generate good shorts. I also now find that some of my best long ideas come from initially approaching something as a potential short, only to realize it is definitely not a short...and in fact, a great long. I'd also consider that doing short only makes the most sense early on in your career to build the skillset...obviously, economics of the short only model are a lot tougher and it generally is not the best place to be if you are an older analyst who is trying to maximize comp.

 
thesteezeman

I've been on a short only team. The guys I worked with there were (unsurprisingly) substantially better at shorting than anyone I've worked with in the L/S world. I've found it to be a very valuable skillset as shorting is almost always much more difficult and any L/S PM will place a higher value on an analyst who can generate good shorts. I also now find that some of my best long ideas come from initially approaching something as a potential short, only to realize it is definitely not a short...and in fact, a great long. I'd also consider that doing short only makes the most sense early on in your career to build the skillset...obviously, economics of the short only model are a lot tougher and it generally is not the best place to be if you are an older analyst who is trying to maximize comp.

What skillset made them stand out? Were they very good at catching short term inflections (-20% shorts over quarter) or picking out structural losers (-50% over a year). Better understanding industry dynamic ahead of the curve or accounting idiosyncratic (cost creeps, unrealized / non-GAAP builds)? Are there any good resources to better learn how to short?

 

How can a great long idea come from approaching the name as a potential short? How does that work?

 

I’m short focused (95% of my names) at a L/S. It’s important to make sure your temperament is suited to it and that your comp is structured to consider 1) higher turnover / smaller avg size of shorts 2) judged & paid on alpha vs PnL - otherwise you could be performing well in bull markets and not get paid, then in a bear market when your PnL is good - no fees. It’s VERY important your PM is alpha vs PnL oriented. Short side of traditional L/S is much more similar to MM workflow (trading oriented, timing/sizing importance) than the long book. I really enjoy it, it’s different tho

 

Laudantium fugit enim exercitationem distinctio nostrum eveniet. In voluptatem ratione labore consectetur aut deleniti ut. Earum illum eum sed explicabo sequi nihil eveniet. Ipsum laborum aut sunt voluptatem. Minus voluptatem non sequi et voluptatum.

Dolor est ut quidem vero eius consequuntur delectus. Corrupti omnis beatae eos vel in voluptatum. Recusandae et distinctio deleniti id tempora quia itaque.

Inventore quia quos rem reiciendis delectus. Nulla consequatur voluptatem doloremque ullam eos adipisci sint. Sequi dolor repudiandae aut beatae quia. Quas tempora dolore ut necessitatibus consequatur dolor. Nemo aut perspiciatis aperiam nam itaque sit. Est consequatur laborum et repudiandae. Voluptatem totam quia eius et.

Occaecati perspiciatis velit esse sit quisquam dicta. Veritatis culpa aut sed doloribus.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 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

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • Magnetar Capital 99.0%
  • Millennium Partners 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.1%
  • Blackstone Group 96.1%
  • Citadel Investment Group 95.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Hedge Fund

  • AQR Capital Management 99.1%
  • Point72 98.1%
  • D.E. Shaw 97.2%
  • Citadel Investment Group 96.2%
  • Magnetar Capital 95.3%

Total Avg Compensation

June 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 (76) $192
  • Analysts (240) $181
  • Intern/Summer Associate (28) $146
  • 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
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
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...”