hedge funds Archives - The Grassy Road

How not to pick up an executive in a bar

The scene is the Los Altos Bar and Grill. A known pickup joint but one that has a good wine list, great food and live music so those not looking for the scene enjoy it anyway. The actors – two female executives sitting at a bar enjoying a glass of wine together. And two men enjoying dinner together at the same bar. The men first try and strike up a conversation along the bar. Some lame question like “Do you like Hawaii?” One of the women engages for a few [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:32-08:00January 3, 2013|My Personal Journey|0 Comments

Why activist shareholders travel in packs

Have you ever wondered why activist shareholders travel in packs? It's because they are significantly less effective alone—just like any other minority on a board. Activists (often hedge funds) accumulate a position in a stock because they want to make change happen at a company and, by making change happen, they will make money on their investment. It may be that they think the company is being mismanaged and so is undervalued against its potential. It may be that they think it should be broken up and the pieces sold [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-10T13:36:39-08:00June 5, 2012|Boards|0 Comments

Hedge fund ethics: “right” and “wrong” in their world

Hedge funds took a battering 2008 - and as they have been battered by the storm two questions of "right" and "wrong" have been coming up that make it sounds like there are ethical codes at work here, but no agreement on what good ethics are.Some background: There are about 10,000 hedge funds open now, down 4% over the year, but still managing $1.6 trillion dollars. About two thirds lost money in 2008 and of those that did are down an average of 29%. This matters because hedge funds are [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T17:20:10-08:00January 24, 2009|Boards|0 Comments

Activism is still on a roll

Six months ago I posted on how activism is on the rise - and now in early November one of the top stories of the year is the activist shareholder Jana’s successful play around CNET. This is written up in a terrific Bloomberg trend piece on activist investors – definitely worth reading if you are interested in how activists operate. In one case they describe how a specific focus on vulnerabilities of the by-laws and other corporate governance issues can create openings and weakness they can take advantage of. The [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-03T02:44:48-08:00November 3, 2008|Leadership|0 Comments

Hedgehogging

Have you ever been curious about the world of the professional investors, particularly hedge fund managers, and wanted to read a book to explain it to you - that - most importantly - did not put you to sleep? If so then read Hedgehogging by Barton Biggs. It's a compelling read, excellent summer beach reading material that through anecdotes and straightforward explanations gives you a voyeurs sense of the high pressure life of the people who run money.

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T17:24:23-08:00August 24, 2008|Boards|0 Comments

Adults only hedge fund

I saw an amusing validation - yet again - that porn is a great money maker today. Adultvest is a hedge fund that invests only in the porn industry and - as reported by BusinessWeek - the hottest new hedge fund may also be the raciest. The $7.9 billion AdultVest [is] one of four firms in the running for Alternative Investment News' Hedge Fund Launch of the Year award.If you link through to their site you find probably one of the only hedge fund sites that greets you with an [...]

By Penny Herscher|2017-12-06T17:26:49-08:00May 29, 2008|My Personal Journey|0 Comments