A Barclays note to clients recently explained that the fees for multi-manager hedge funds can be approximately three times the size of their peers, due to the fact that these funds dependably yield high returns.
The note indicated that while in the last five years the larger market has averaged a return of 5.5%, multi-manager hedge funds have averaged a return of 8.3%. Investors are, therefore, asked to pay a higher fee because they are very likely to receive a higher return. There are no fixed fees, rather the fees can rise and fall depending on the work of the traders.
Generally, hedge funds have a fixed cost fee of 2%, with the fund owners taking 20% of the after cost profits. In multi-manager funds, the traders working at the fund receive bonuses, which are included in the hedge fund’s cost. This contributes to the higher cost, bringing multi-manager funds closer to a 7-and-20 charge instead of the usual 2-and-20.
According to Reuters, Barclays identified 42 multi-manager hedge funds managing a total of $290 billion in assets, including some of the world’s largest hedge funds.
Investors must pay performance related expenses even if the fund is not successful. They continue to pursue these funds, however, because of the consistently high returns which defray the increased costs.
