Those at a HF, do you ever feel like you’re not doing much?
Mostly look at IB stuff so apologies if this is basic.
Have really enjoyed some stock pitch competitions so occasionally have thought about what life at a long short HF might be like.
But when I do, I can’t get over the fact that the role feels so passive. You’re basically just moving money around based on your predictions on where a stock might go- and importantly that stock’s performance is not impacted by your work at all.
Yes you generate returns for investors, but it sort of sucks that you can’t actually engage with the value creation? Do you just have to love the analysis side of things?
In contrast, something like PE is more involved. Even in an IB role, you help run the process for a transaction and that has a real impact on the companies involved.
Is that feeing of “impact” for those in the HF industry largely focused on their investors?
Just random thoughts but anyone else get what I’m saying?
Your purpose won’t come from the nominal difference in societal impact between IB, PE, HF
Not really sure if the difference is so nominal. You can impact a lot of lives (for better or for worse) when you take a company private and potentially change its business strategy.
Not that this is my focus. I am more concerned with whether people in the industry ever feel like their work is passive and disconnected from the businesses they analyse.
The sense of "reward" besides the $ comes from the sense of having been right on your prediction/forecasts.
And I suppose that yeah, if you need more motivation than that, you can tell yourself you've "won" for your investors.
I guess playing the game is what it is all about, based on this and what the other commenter said.
But in part, that does reflect the sentiment in my question. Not sure how many people see their jobs as playing a game, pretty unique disconnect there. How did you realise you wanted to do this for a living?
Also, is it not frustrating that when you make a bet on X to do Y, you can't actually exert any meaningful influence on X? You just passively watch things unfold.
Nothing stopping you from telling management teams how they can suck less. You’re likely to incur brain damage in the process though.
everything youre describing is exactly why i dont have a real job....
working REALLY sucks
hf job sucks too but it sucks marginally less than a real job
thinking u need your job to be the vehicle to have social impact is some real late stage capitalist proddie brainwashing
get paid and do real stuff with your off time/your money when you're retired
can u imagine telling people youre doing "value creation" and then they ask what you do and you answer "IB/PE"? lmaoooo bro needs to get bullied more
Betting on whether it’s bar beat or bar miss is fun. It’s fun to win at the game.
When you win, yes. Unfortunately, when you lose, it sucks twice as bad.
Stocks have an important psychological angle that PE or IB don't have.
Too true. I experience stress about the bar more or less constantly.
We enjoy creating no value, actually we TAKE value, from counterparties'.
You bought? We sold to you and watched you hold the bag then giggled.
You got liquidated? We got a discounted sales, we had a good laugh.
Nothing compares to that feeling of being 'proven right'.
do you go outside much
No. Your mom keeps me busy.
Pricing risk more accurately improves resource allocation across society. The analytical work associated with that is very valuable. Generally, higher levels of financialization within a society is associated with better standards of living and higher growth rates (eg USA vs Europe).
do you hear what you are saying
Overkill
I love what I do. This industry isn't for everyone, though, and I respect that. "I can't teach a man to hustle; some men just have it."
You're wrong about there being no long term price impact from your trading... buy a few % of a name and see what happens.
And once you impact price... you take capital away from bad companies and give them to good ones. Enforce the performance of management teams. Decide the rates at which governments can borrow. Determine the supply of crops that farmers will produce. And if you're wrong, you quickly lose the privilege.
Is that why most do the job? Is impact proportional to pay? Hell no.
Still there is a positive externality, and with the scale of capital a single individual can manage, the impact is more than you can make in most jobs.
this is the correct answer. The biggest reason why poor countries remain poor is the misallocation of capital and corruption. Corruption isn't inherently evil; it blocks progress and concentrates wealth in the hands of the selected few who does not have an iota of compassion towards the lower class. People who deserve success get picked up by other wealthier neighbouring countries
I feel like this guy is fully convinced he’s going to create tons of societal value by building a model for his MD to roll up mom and pop dry cleaners in Iowa. I guess whatever helps you sleep at night big dawg
Not doing much? WTF do you think we do for 12 hours a day
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