This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more here.  
  • Delicious




Dow Jones Lists Top Ten Hedge Fund Trades Of 2007

by Phillip morton, Investors Offshore.com

16 January 2008

Even though 2007 proved a turbulent year for some hedge funds, others were able to expertly play the market, according to Dow Jones Hedge Fund Trades, which has highlighted ten of the year's best trades.

Among the top hedge fund trades were two deals by Atticus Management, which resulted in a collective profit of nearly USD1.2 billion for the firm. All told, the "Big 10" hedge fund trades garnered profits of more than USD3 billion for their respective investors.

The top ten trades named by Dow Jones in its second annual set of rankings, released this week were:

Top Trade 1: Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold

Firm: Atticus Management

Profit: USD800 million

The New York-based hedge fund hit the mother lode for the second year in a row, scoring paper gains of at least $800 million through its holding in the mining giant.

Top Trade 2: MBIA Inc., Ambac Financial

Firm: Pershing Square Capital Management

Profit: USD500+ million

William Ackman's longtime gamble that bond insurance companies would run into trouble finally paid off this year as mortgage loans to high-risk borrowers started going bad and credit markets stumbled, Dow Jones revealed.

Top Trade 3: Foster Wheeler

Firm: Tontine Partners

Profit: USD426 million

Sage investments in engineering and construction companies helped cushion the Greenwich, Conn.-based firm's losses in finance and housing.

Top Trade 4: Union Pacific, Other U.S. Railroads

Firm: Atticus Management

Profit: USD387 million

A counterintuitive bet in a sector that typically slows down as an economic cycle peaks paid off handsomely. On top of paper and actual gains, Atticus made more than $20 million in dividend earnings on its railroad holdings.

Top Trade 5: First Solar

Firm: Maverick Capital

Profit: USD350+ million

After a stormy 2006, Maverick rebounded in 2007 thanks to its investments in solar and alternative energy. First Solar was one of the sector's hottest performers.

Top Trade 6: Crown Castle International, American Tower

Firm: Glenview Capital Management

Profit: USD319 million

Larry Robbins' New York-based hedge fund got "all the right signals" when it targeted the wireless towers sector, Dow Jones punned. The trades crowned a successful year that saw the firm up 24%.

Top Trade 7: CF Industries

Firm: Dawson-Herman Capital Management

Profit: USD160 million

Ethanol companies suffered this year, but taking a long view of the biofuels sector helped the New York-based firm cultivate a neat return from the fertilizer company.

Top Trade 8: Onyx Pharmaceuticals

Firm: Meditor Capital Management

Profit: USD155 million

Having booked some profits in Onyx at the beginning of the year, the UK- based firm held on to the company's shares to benefit from a further jump when its cancer drug beat analysts' estimates.

Top Trade 9: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Firm: Tremblant Capital Group

Profit: USD95 million

When other firms were asking for the check, Brett Barakett went back for seconds in this fast-food chain that promises healthy fare and delivered a healthy profit for the $4 billion-plus firm.

Top Trade 10: United Therapeutics Corp.

Firm: Shunway Capital Partners

Profit: USD73 million

The New York-based firm gradually increased its stake in United Therapeutics during the year, gaining big-time on good news about the company's pulmonary hypertension drug.

A comprehensive report in our Intelligence Report series examining offshore investment, offshore stock exchanges, and hedge funds is available in the Lowtax Library at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/subs_reports.asp and a description of the report can be seen at http://www.lowtaxlibrary.com/asp/description_report9.asp

 

 






Write a comment