Monday, June 13, 2016

Trends in hedge fund management

The past decade has been marked by various developments in the investments and securities sector, as well as in the global economic situation. As a result, the hedge fund management industry is set to witness the rise of new trends that portfolio managers and client investors must contend with.

Here is a list of such trends:

Transparency becomes a priority. Following the many controversies in the investments domain, both the government and the investor clients have become keen on examining how portfolio management firms handle the funds under their care. And to keep up with the new laws and regulations created, the industry authorities and the pertinent government bodies have also adopted more thorough processes and advanced technologies to ensure tighter implementation. Real-time monitoring of transactions has become a possibility in these times. Hedge fund managers then face immense pressure to ensure their company’s compliance. Towards this goal, some are adopting more manpower to ensure that the relevant data are collected properly, that reporting deadlines are met, and other transparency-related procedures are conducted promptly.

New markets and distribution patterns will emerge. According to a 2014 report by PricewaterhouseCoopers, assets under management will rise to $102 trillion by 2020. Markets will emerge in the growing economies of Asia, Africa, the Middle East, and South America, and the distribution network will see some changes, as the North Asia, South Asia, Latin America, and Europe are set to build trade linkages. PwC believes that portfolio managers based in North America should act in anticipation of these changes.

Alternative investments to grow. As a result of the increased regulation and demands for transparency and performance on traditional investments, more firms and individuals will be drawn towards alternative investments. Other enticing features of alternative assets include a level of protection from inflation, as well as greater opportunities for asset diversification and exposure. And this sector – which includes hedge funds, private equity, and venture capital – might grow to a $13 trillion in four years.

Amid these changes and developments, hedge fund management firms need to adapt, especially by investing in services and solutions that will help ease their workload. Third party asset servicing firms, for example, can provide valuable assistance in taking care of middle- and back office functions such as accounting, data warehousing, tax and financial reporting, and compliance management. To aid them in these functions, the best ones also invest n top-of-the-line porftolio management technologies.

Monday, June 6, 2016

How to get started with Fantasy Sports - FanDuel MLB Daily Fantasy

As the 2016 Major League Baseball season is currently ongoing and heating up in the months leading up to the playoffs, more and more players are getting their MLB daily fantasy fixes from a variety of sources. These include websites such as DraftKings and FanDuel. For fans of the latter, we’ve got another beginner’s guide for you right here.

FanDuel’s daily fantasy baseball, as many can attest to, is simpler in nature than that of DraftKings. One key difference is that it comes with only one minus statistic, instead of more than one. There are also less stats to deal with, which makes this a more ideal site to visit for daily fantasy newbies. As usual, you will need to live in certain parts of the world if you want to make money by playing daily fantasy MLB, you’ll have to pay the same entrance fees to join leagues in hopes of winning the prize money, and you’ll get to choose the same positions for your daily lineup, but aside from those similarities, the mechanics, particularly the scoring, is different.

Let’s first take a look at the stats accumulated by hitters. Home runs will still get you the most points – it’s 12 points per homer driven in by one of your players. After that, it’s nine points for a triple, six points for a double, and three points for a single. While DraftKings scores runs scored and runs batted in as equal, it’s also different over at FanDuel, as the site gives you 3.2 points per run and 3.5 points per RBI. Stolen bases are worth six points apiece, while getting hit by a pitcher is worth three points each time this happens.

There are only four pitching stats tallied, and you don’t need to worry if you’ve got a wild-throwing pitcher who nonetheless strikes out a lot of batters. Winning games, still, is most important, as that will get you 12 points if you chose a winning pitcher. A strikeout is worth three points each, and so is an inning pitched; you want starting pitchers who throw strikes, and definitely not relievers, with that in mind. There is one minus stat you still need to watch out for, and that’s earned runs – you lose three points per earned run allowed by your pitchers.

We hope this guide was helpful to you, and we hope you keep scouring fantasy expert blogs for more MLB daily fantasy tips in the future.