Hedge Fund Returns since 1998: 2.1% per year.

A recent study shows that Hedge Fund Investors earned about 2.1% since 1998.   That would be after the 2/20 fees, and probably doesn't include funds of funds fees etc.

Everything that I said in my rant yesterday about private equity applies here also.

Read the article, it's a good one.

The key paragraph:

Mr Lack’s book suggests the blind faith displayed by many institutional investors in hedge funds needs to be reconsidered. Individual managers may be brilliant but it is hard to spot them in advance. John Paulson was not particularly well-regarded before he made a fortune betting against subprime bonds—and his performance has slumped since. Investing in hedge funds will enable some lucky managers to enjoy an early retirement on their yachts. It will not enable pension funds to eliminate their deficits.

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