Archive

Danie Berrange at Huysamer Investments is looking for seed capital to continue with his HCI Conservative Hedge Fund, a long-running market-neutral hedge fund investing in the South African markets.

There will always be a great future for the most talented money managers who can operate with both hands in front of them. Whereas traditional asset managers operate with one hand behind their backs, modern or alternative asset managers have a great future.

"Hedging Africa: The next decade" was the title of the HedgeNews Africa Symposium, held on February 18, 2010 in Cape Town.

Single-strategy assets under management in the HedgeNews Africa database amounted to $5.5 billion as at the end of 2009, including both African and South African mandates, with 170 funds reporting for the purposes of this survey.

In light of the sweeping changes affecting the hedge fund industry around the world, HedgeNews Africa sits down with Andrew Baker, CEO of the Alternative Investment Management Association, which has taken a leading role in bringing hedge fund perspectives to the attention of regulators and governments globally.

Silk Invest, a leading specialist asset management company focusing on Africa, aims to launch its African Food Fund, also a private-equity vehicle, on June 30, believing it allows investors to benefit from a once-in-a-lifetime long-term opportunity.

Food security is an important theme for investors globally, with well-known hedge fund names such as Passport Capital, Ospraie Management, Armajaro and Sprott Asset Management investing in food production, agricultural commodities and farmland in countries ranging from Australia to Brazil and Canada.

Old Mutual Investment Group (SA) (OMIGSA)'s Multi-Strategy Hedge Fund is well into its fourth year, offering a unique combination of private equity and hedge fund strategies in a portfolio that now offers enhanced monthly liquidity terms.

HedgeNews Africa sits down with James Gilfillan, CIO of Alpha Asset Management, to discuss the industry and the investing environment.

"Back in 2008 when we started our Africa fund, people were looking at the potential of Africa. Now it is very much a reality," says Tutu Agyare, head of Nubuke Investments.