4 ms·

I am no market genius, I do alright, but how do you lose 23% in 2010? or how did he not make a killing in 2009? Those were two of the best stock years in this

I am no market genius, I do alright, but how do you lose 23% in 2010? or how did he not make a killing in 2009? Those were two of the best stock years in this decade and going back to the Great Depression aftermath the last century (barring the tech bubble). Also, if they warned of the housing bubble, did they do nothing to protect assets? The losses should have stemmed around 20-40% if they knew that.

chrismealy 16y ago
I'm sure it's all those women voting to blame.
maukdaddy 16y ago
sigh Here we go with the "predicted" housing bubble again: If I make 10 predictions per day, per year, statistically one of them will probably come true. Get mainstream media involved, ignorant "financial" bloggers, etc. and suddenly I'm a freaking genius who predicted something long before anyone else did! This doesn't make me start, trustworthy, or anything else, and it certainly doesn't warrant investing billions of dollars with.
brown9-2 16y ago
His fund is investing in much more than just stocks: His fund seeks to profit from broad economic trends by trading everything from currencies to commodities, a strategy known as macro investing. Such hedge funds returned an average of 2.2 percent last year, 12.6 percent in 2009 and 5.9 percent in 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ... The bulk of Thiel’s losses last year came in April, June, September and November. The Clarium fund declined 6.5 percent in April, as losing bets in U.S. equities and overseas debt offset gains made in commodities, according to an investor letter. Two months later it slumped 7.7 percent through stocks and currencies. The biggest losses came in September, when the fund slumped 8.4 percent on stock bets, according to a letter. Two months later Clarium dropped 7.8 percent because of currencies and fixed income. ... In October, the Clarium fund had a gross exposure to currencies of 33 percent, which increased to 45 percent the following month.
gojomo 16y ago
Not everyone is 'long' in stocks (betting they go up). So it really doesn't matter if a year is the 'best' (for those 'long'); it matters the specific positions held.
- drawkbox 16y ago
  Yes hedge funds are notorious for liking volatility along with HFT algorithms, so steady bull markets maybe not so much. I realize people are bull/bears long/short call/put etc. However, hedge funds really should have made more than most in 2009/2010 unless leveraged and caught in the financial housing special products or overseas in EU rather than in other better performing diversifications. Hedge funds usually just like 'movement' or volatility to play off of. However a solid bull market is just as easy as a solid bear market to make money in especially for the leverage they have in volume/size of the funds.
gsmaverick 16y ago
Predictions of events occurring are quite easy to make. Predicting the exact timing of those events in order to make money from trading on them is much more difficult and risky.
gsmaverick 16y ago
Predictions of events occurring are quite easy to make. Predicting the exact timing of those events in order to make money from trading on them is much more difficult and risky.

chrismealy 16y ago

I'm sure it's all those women voting to blame.

maukdaddy 16y ago

sigh Here we go with the "predicted" housing bubble again: If I make 10 predictions per day, per year, statistically one of them will probably come true. Get mainstream media involved, ignorant "financial" bloggers, etc. and suddenly I'm a freaking genius who predicted something long before anyone else did! This doesn't make me start, trustworthy, or anything else, and it certainly doesn't warrant investing billions of dollars with.

brown9-2 16y ago

His fund is investing in much more than just stocks: His fund seeks to profit from broad economic trends by trading everything from currencies to commodities, a strategy known as macro investing. Such hedge funds returned an average of 2.2 percent last year, 12.6 percent in 2009 and 5.9 percent in 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. ... The bulk of Thiel’s losses last year came in April, June, September and November. The Clarium fund declined 6.5 percent in April, as losing bets in U.S. equities and overseas debt offset gains made in commodities, according to an investor letter. Two months later it slumped 7.7 percent through stocks and currencies. The biggest losses came in September, when the fund slumped 8.4 percent on stock bets, according to a letter. Two months later Clarium dropped 7.8 percent because of currencies and fixed income. ... In October, the Clarium fund had a gross exposure to currencies of 33 percent, which increased to 45 percent the following month.

gojomo 16y ago

Not everyone is 'long' in stocks (betting they go up). So it really doesn't matter if a year is the 'best' (for those 'long'); it matters the specific positions held.

drawkbox 16y ago
Yes hedge funds are notorious for liking volatility along with HFT algorithms, so steady bull markets maybe not so much. I realize people are bull/bears long/short call/put etc. However, hedge funds really should have made more than most in 2009/2010 unless leveraged and caught in the financial housing special products or overseas in EU rather than in other better performing diversifications. Hedge funds usually just like 'movement' or volatility to play off of. However a solid bull market is just as easy as a solid bear market to make money in especially for the leverage they have in volume/size of the funds.

gsmaverick 16y ago

Predictions of events occurring are quite easy to make. Predicting the exact timing of those events in order to make money from trading on them is much more difficult and risky.

gsmaverick 16y ago

Predictions of events occurring are quite easy to make. Predicting the exact timing of those events in order to make money from trading on them is much more difficult and risky.