Centaurus Energy: big hedge-fund firm run by billionaire natural-gas trader John Arnold

SAN FRANCISCO (Dow Jones)--Centaurus Energy, a big hedge-fund firm run by billionaire natural-gas trader John Arnold, may be on course for its first down year, Institutional Investor reported Monday.

Arnold's fund was down 2.7% through October, despite a 7.9% gain that month, Institutional Investor said, citing unidentified "knowledgeable sources."

The performance highlights what has been a tough year for commodities trading.

A representative at Centaurus Energy's Houston office didn't immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Arnold has become one of the world's top energy traders since he started Centaurus Energy in 2002. In 2005 the firm generated a return of 160%, Institutional Investor noted. The year after that, Centaurus Energy returned about 200% as another hedge-fund firm, Amaranth Advisors, collapsed under the weight of massive natural-gas losses.

In 2007 and 2008, when the financial crisis left many hedge funds with record losses, Centaurus Energy returned roughly 50% a year. In 2009, the firm generated gains of 29.2%, according to Institutional Investor.

Those returns have made Arnold a billionaire. Earlier this year, he joined a group of America's richest people in publicly pledging to give at least half of their money to charity.

13 Comments
 

All I remember is reading his profile a few years back as one of the youngest multibillionaires in the world, and it made me hungry.

I am permanently behind on PMs, it's not personal.
 
WalkioDidn't he work at Enron before? I remember reading about him a while back.

Yes, Vandy undergrad, received the highest bonus Enron ever paid out (8 million).

"Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, for knowledge has marked the upward surge of mankind. And greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the USA."
 
Gekko21
WalkioDidn't he work at Enron before? I remember reading about him a while back.

Yes, Vandy undergrad, received the highest bonus Enron ever paid out (8 million).

Bloody hell that's impressive.

 

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