The economics and finance of hedge funds

Agarwal, V, Mullally, K A and Naik, N (2015) The economics and finance of hedge funds. Foundations and Trends in Finance, 10 (1). pp. 1-111. ISSN 1567-2395

Abstract

Hedge funds have become increasingly important players in financial markets. This heightened importance has spawned a large academic literature focused on issues pertinent to hedge fund managers, investors, regulators, and policymakers. Although the top four finance journals (the Journal of Finance, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Review of Financial Studies, and the Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis) published only 16 papers on hedge funds prior to 2005, they have published 105 papers on hedge funds since 2005. As a result, we felt that it is time to update the monograph published in 2005 [Agarwal and Naik, 2005]. This update, prepared with the help of new coauthor Kevin Mullally, extends the previous monograph along two dimensions. First, it includes reviews of recent studies on topics that were covered in the earlier monograph. Second, it summarizes research on new topics that were not part of the previous monograph. These new topics cover a broad gamut of issues ranging from hedge funds' use of leverage and exposure to different risks to their impact on various asset markets.