Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Hedge Fund Brexit Profits

Some Hedge Funds Clean Up After Brexit Vote
Two London money managers took different views on the referendum, but both wound up making money By Rob Copeland, Gregory Zuckerman and Laurence Fletcher, 6/25/16 WSJ

In the hours after Britain’s surprise vote to leave the European Union, chatter on Wall Street and beyond shifted to who made or lost fortunes on the outcome.

Two of the early beneficiaries were London hedge-fund chieftains who took different views on the vote, but both wound up making money.

David Harding, the billionaire founder of Winton Capital Management, donated millions to a group that hoped to persuade Britons to vote to remain in the EU. He lost that battle, but his Winton Diversified fund positioned itself to be an early winner nonetheless.

The fund gained 3.1% early Friday, helped by bets against the British pound and euro, according to a client note reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. Winton oversees more than $34 billion and uses automated computer programs to trade around economic trends. A spokeswoman for Winton declined to comment.

Crispin Odey, meanwhile, signed a public letter backing the campaign to leave the EU and set up his $10 billion firm accordingly. Mr. Odey’s flagship hedge fund gained 15% on Friday, paring half its loss for the year, a person close to the matter said, helped by wagers on havens like gold as investors sought stability.“What a day,” Mr. Odey said.

Gold for June delivery climbed 4.7%, to $1,320 a troy ounce, on the Comex division of the New York Mercantile Exchange, its largest one-day gain since September.


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