The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius of the World's Top Hedge Funds - Hardcover

Ahuja, Maneet

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1118065522 ISBN 13: 9781118065525

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc, 2012

Synopsis

The ultimate behind-the-curtain look at the hedge fund industry, unlocking the most valuable stories, secrets, and lessons directly from those who have played the game best.

Written by Maneet Ahuja, the hedge fund industry insider, The Alpha Masters brings the secretive world of hedge funds into the light of day for the first time. As the authority that the biggest names in the business, including John Paulson, David Tepper, and Bill Ackman, go to before breaking major news, Ahuja has access to the innermost workings of the hedge fund industry. For the first time, in Alpha Masters, Ahuja provides both institutional and savvy private investors with tangible, analytical insight into the psychology of the trade, the strategies and investment criteria serious money managers use to determine and evaluate their positions, and special guidance on how the reader can replicate this success themselves.

There are few people with access to the inner chambers of the hedge fund industry, and as a result it remains practically uncharted financial territory. Alpha Masters changes all that, shedding light on star fund managers and how exactly they consistently outperform the market. The book:

• Contains easy-to-follow chapters that are broken down by strategy--Long/Short, Event Arbitrage, Value, Macro, Distressed, Quantitative, Commodities, Activist, pure Short, Fund of Funds.
• Includes insights from the biggest names in the trading game, including Ray Dalio, Marc Lasry, Jim Chanos, Sonia Gardner, Pierre Lagrange, and Tim Wong.
• Features contributions from industry icon Mohamed El-Erian

Many of the subjects profiled in this groundbreaking new book have never spoken so candidly about their field, providing extremely provocative, newsworthy analysis of today's investing landscape.

About this title

Review

Guest Review of The Alpha Masters by Ben Mezrich

"Maneet Ahuja's The Alpha Masters is a must-read for anyone working on Wall Street--or anyone planning to work on Wall Street. Getting even one of these titans of the industry to talk on record would be an impressive feat (and I know this because I've tried unsuccessfully to interview at least two of the people featured in here!), but getting all of them together in one place is simply herculean. Maneet quite clearly has the magic touch, and The Alpha Masters kept me busy on a round trip to Vegas, with a few extra hours on the tarmac. Great work, fun read, and a unique, fresh voice." --Ben Mezrich is the author of twelve books including the New York Times best sellers Bringing Down the House, which was adapted into the movie 21, and The Accidental Billionaires, which was adapted into the Oscar-winning movie The Social Network.

Ben Mezrich

Q & A with Maneet Ahuja, author of The Alpha Masters: Unlocking the Genius of the World's Top Hedge Funds

Maneet Ahuja

What is The Alpha Masters about?
The Alpha Masters lifts the curtain on the notoriously private hedge fund industry and reveals valuable stories, secrets and lessons directly from the world's top investors. I wrote the book during one of the most volatile years in the U.S. markets. Through firsthand interviews and unprecedented access, each chapter profiles one of the biggest and most successful names in the industry, specifically including Ray Dalio, John Paulson, David Tepper, Bill Ackman, Marc Lasry and Sonia Gardner, Dan Loeb, Jim Chanos, Boaz Weinstein, Pierre LaGrange and Tim Wong.

You had unprecedented access to these managers through the course of writing The Alpha Masters. Why do you think you were able to "go behind the curtain"?
As any good journalist will tell you, when you focus on the facts and developing your story, the rest will follow. My objective in writing The Alpha Masters was to dig deep into the backgrounds and investment philosophies of some of the world's greatest investors in order to really tell their stories for the first time. As a producer at CNBC for over four years, I have slowly built strong relationships and trust with these investors which I have now taken several steps further with the publishing of The Alpha Masters.

I believe I was able to "go behind the curtain," so to speak, because all of my subjects believed there were extremely valuable lessons to be learned from their extensive experiences and insights. Hopefully readers of the book will agree and be able to put some of the philosophies shared in the book into practice in their own lives and portfolios!

Why are hedge funds such a mystery?
There are a few key reasons, but foremost, the general public doesn't have the ability to invest in hedge funds because they are restricted to "accredited investors" under Regulation D of the Securities and Exchange Commission. This usually means an individual with net worth of at least $1 million or annual income over $200,000.

Also, hedge funds have only been around for less than a century. While there are a lot of mixed opinions--even among the investors profiled in the book--about what actually constitutes a hedge fund, the investment strategies are complex and believed by many to contain marks of genius. Thus, hedge fund managers have historically shied away from publicly explaining their methods, not only because they are difficult to understand, but from fear of giving away the secret sauce.

Who should read this book?
This book is for investors, market participants, business students, and anyone curious about the markets and interested in a "hedge- ucation."

You interviewed some of the top hedge fund managers in the world. What defining characteristic do you think stands out among them?
In one word? Drive.

From the Back Cover

Praise for The Alpha Masters

"This is one of the very few books I know of that crawls inside the minds of today's most brilliant investors to get the play-by-play of their best (and sometimes worst) investments. You feel as though you are sitting across from the likes of John Paulson and David Tepper as they share their most sought-after techniques and analysis. This book will pay for itself and then some for those who are smart enough to pick it up."
—Nouriel Roubini, cofounder and Chairman, Roubini Global Economics, Professor of Economics, NYU Stern School of Business

"Maneet Ahuja knows well the stars of the hedge fund universe. She has written a really very interesting book that provides insights into the industry, its rapid evolution, and its adaptability to a constantly shifting investment landscape. But, most of all, she introduces us to its fascinating leaders, in depth. From their backgrounds, values, and modes of thought, she gives us insight into what it takes to be successful in this most demanding profession."
—Michael Spence, 2001 Nobel Laureate in Economics, former dean of Stanford Business School

"Hedge funds carry a range of connotations for investors, both good and bad. Maneet's demystification of this increasingly important sector of the financial world provides a valuable service for investors, as they look for alternatives to the financial institutions—and investing tenets—that failed them during the financial crisis."
—Sallie Krawcheck, former CEO of Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and U.S. Trust

"No one has the type of access to this elite class of hedge fund managers that Maneet Ahuja does. The Alpha Masters provides the type of in-depth insight and advice that only comes from countless conversations and time spent one-on-one with these managers. The Alpha Masters is bound to be a classic."
—Leon G. Cooperman, Chairman and CEO, Omega Advisors, Inc.

"The Alpha Masters has captured the background, the ideas, and the money-making strategy of today's cutting-edge drivers of financial thought, analysis, and action. It is a great read for those who track the capital market and the tug-of-war between creativity, ideas, and capital market stress."
—Mario J. Gabelli, Chief Investment Officer, GAMCO Investors, Inc.

"The great cultural divide in journalism has always been between access and accountability reporting. But, in the end, it's really just a division of labor; readers need both. Ahuja works the access side of the street, and gets people to talk as few others can. The result is a surprisingly absorbing book about people who you can't help but be curious about."
—Dean Starkman, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and Editor of the Columbia Journalism Review's "The Audit"

Edition details

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1118065522
• ISBN 13: 9781118065525
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 245