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Dear Readers, As Spring Term 2018 is coming to an end, it is time for us to say goodbye. Most of the EBS.Invest e.V. members are leaving university over the summer to gain practical experience via internships. We will be coming back from Investment Banking, Consulting, Accounting, Auditing, Real Estate and even Marketing in fall. By then the freshmen will have arrived at EBS as well, hopefully maintaining the successful production and distribution of BULL&BEAR. Looking back, the EBS.Invest e.V. Research Team has achieved a lot with BULL & BEAR. We covered topics such as mergers & acquisitions, cryptocurrencies, initial coin offerings, Chinese investors in the German real estate market, smart home technology, tokenization of real estate investment trusts and debt capital market. Furthermore, the whole EBS.Invest association had the honor to visit the Main Incubator GmbH and the Frankfurt stock exchange. Moreover, we had the opportunity to see presentations and participate on workshops from the federal association of stock exchange associations at German universities (BVH), BKB Steuerberatungsgesellschaft Wirtschaftprüfungsgesellschaft, Prof. Dr. Hommel, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Silverbear Capital, Active Ownership Capital, KPMG and last but not least Mentor Lane. With the last two editions of BULL&BEAR we reached over 8,500 viewers from over a dozen nations (As of April ’18). This includes students from all over the world but also representatives of Mazars, Deutsche Bank, Commerzbank, Morgan Stanley, KPMG, Nord LB, FS Invest, Source for Alpha, EY, SAP, UBS, Warth & Klein Grant Thornton, Bankhaus Metzler, Acatus, Berenberg, pwc, Freigeist Capital, BASF, Jefferies, Arthur D Little, Rothschild, AEW, Allianz, J.P. Morgan and many more. We owe this overwhelming success to the members of the EBS.Invest research team, who really made enormous effort, working for BULL&BEAR! Once again, we have to emphasize our gratitude to all contributors! Johan ten Doornkaat Gautam Kumar Head of Research at EBS.Invest e.V. Chief Responsibility for Bull&Bear View LinkedIn Profile
Head of Research at EBS.Invest e.V. Layout/ Composition, Editorial Supervision & Chief Responsibility for Bull&Bear View LinkedIn Profile
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Content I.
ESMA on Contracts for Difference Johan elaborates on the functionality of CFDs, raising awareness for current regulation efforts of European regulation authorities.
II.
The Benefits and Risks of Exchange Traded Funds Jan-Raphael and Tijen give a comprehensible explanation of ETFs and shed light on the pros and cons of such investment products.
III.
Real-life Sample for Exchange Traded Funds The ComStage MSCI World TRN UCITS ETF is analyzed by Felix and Kilian on an exemplary basis, not giving any investment recommendation.
IV.
Capital Asset Pricing Model Max, Benedikt and Pascal give an informative in-depth comment on CAPM, taking a look at the formula itself, its background and utility.
V.
The Fascinating World of Hedge Funds The historical origin, the current state and a future outlook for Hedge Funds is given by Gautam.
VI.
What are Options? Finally, Philippe and Arsenij explain the purpose of option trading, going into detail about Call and Put options.
ESMA on Contracts for Difference Tying Down the Invisible Hand The concept of the invisible hand can be
CFDs are usually leveraged, since the mar-
traced back to the English economist Ad-
gin deposited by the investor only makes
am Smith (*1723, † 1790) and describes the
up for a small percentage of the overall
self-control of supply and demand on any
investment.
market. It implies that the market activity itself is the force that organizes and regulates markets in an optimal manner, as the individual market participant serves the societies best interest, by aiming at his very own need-satisfaction.
This is best explained by using an example: Usually CFDs on indices cost around EUR 1,00 per base point. Assuming the DAX would close at 10,000 base points per today, the cost of the derivative CFD would sum up to EUR 10,000. This is where the
But on the 27th of March 2018 the Euro-
margin comes into play: usually the margin
pean Securities and Markets Authority
rates are rather low, ranging from 0.33% to
(ESMA) published a press release, an-
50%. As margin rates below 10% are more
nouncing that it resolved to prune future
common, we will assume a margin rate of
CFD trading. What CFDs actually are and
2% for our DAX-CFD example. This would
what exactly the ESMA plans to restrict is
lead to a deposited margin of EUR 200,00,
ought to be condensed within this article.
which allows the investor to participate in
What are CFDs?
the value development of a EUR 10,000 worth investment. This relation means that
CFD is an abbreviation for “Contract for
the investment is leveraged 50 times (EUR
Difference”, which basically means that
10,000 divided by EUR 200,00).
investors close a contract, binding them to stand in for the underlying value’s difference between bid and sell price. The respective counterparty on the other hand, is obliged to pay the difference amount be-
This leverage is enabled by the broker, who funds the missing EUR 9,800. This means that the CFD leverage is actually ordinary debt capital.
tween entry price and the achieved profit
Furtherly it has to be noticed that the mar-
target in case the underlying value moves
gin rate moves along with the underlying
according to the investor’s expectations.
value, which may lead into the necessity of
a margin call, resolving in the financially
cleared if 50% of available cash is liable for
dangerous subsequent payment obliga-
investor’s margin duties
tion. This basically means that CFD investors may lose more money, than they initially invested. What does the ESMA think of CFDs? The European Securities and Markets Authority found out that 74 to 89% of European small CFD-investors make losses ranging from EUR 1,600 to EUR 29,000 on average. This makes the ESMA believe that there is a need for action to ensure investor protection.
- standardized loss limitations in form of a prohibition of negative account balances for small investors Final thoughts As small investors obviously seem to struggle with this kind of investment, it comes across wise to regulate these speculative vehicles. Nonetheless, regulation often seems like an easy way out, frequently providing a vivid breeding ground for market disruptions. Studies have shown
As the ESMA states that CFD are too com-
that regulatory and other governmental
plex, intransparent and risky, the authority
market interferences have had major
prescribed several restrictions, from which
negative impacts on past crises, as for ex-
the three most important are:
ample the involvement of US government
- leverage limits from 30:1 to 2:1 for small investor position on volatility underlyings, 10:1 for commodities (except gold) and stock indices, 5:1 for single stocks/ other securities and 2:1 for cryptocurrencies
(Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac) in the financial crisis from 2007 to 2008. Moreover, the effectiveness of financial regulations like equity capital requirements for banks and the deposit protection scheme, is debated among scholars. Finally, the discus-
- obliged margin-close-outs, meaning that
sion whether this kind of regulation is ap-
small investors accounts have to be
propriate remains to be settled.
Written by
Johan ten Doornkaat Head of Research at EBS.Invest e.V. Layout/ Composition, Editorial Supervision & Chief Responsibility for Bull&Bear View LinkedIn Profile
The Benefits and Risks of Exchange Traded Funds Exchange Traded Funds, commonly re-
Moreover, ETFs are purchased through a
ferred to as ETFs, are marketable securities
brokerage much like stocks. This differs
that are similar in nature to index funds.
from mutual funds because they are
They are often tied to an index, commodi-
bought directly from a fund company. ETFs
ty, or bond. The difference between ETFs
are tradable throughout the day, so many
and mutual funds, however, is that ETFs
people rely on arbitrage to take advantage
are traded on a stock exchange in the
of different prices for the same the fund.
same manner as a common stock. Like
They generally have lower costs than mu-
stocks, their prices change over the course
tual funds that may be tracking the same
of a day, and they can be bought and sold
index, but they can also fall victim to high-
just as easily. They are more liquid than
er trading fees. Commissions are paid to
mutual funds which means they are often
the broker every time an ETF share is
considered more desirable to investors
bought or sold, so if funds are being trad-
that are looking for more of a stock market
ed frequently, the cost benefit may be nul-
experience.
lified by the commissions.
ETFs are created and redeemed by author-
There are many ETFs. In fact, they out-
ized participants, which are usually banks
number mutual funds by quite a large
or investment firms. The authorized partic-
margin. This is due to the fact that there
ipant puts a portfolio together, consisting
are a wide variety of heavily focused ETFs
of the underlying assets that make up the
within many different sectors. Investors
ETF. These assets can include stock shares,
can purchase ETFs that follow only specifi-
bonds, futures, commodities, and a variety
cally industries, such as technology, alter-
of other items. Once the asset portfolio is
native energy, or any number of foreign
assembled, it is given to the fund in ex-
stocks. These specific ETFs are best utilized
change for ETF shares. In a similar fashion
for frequent trading rather than as a pri-
to creation, redemption happens with an
mary investment.
authorized participant returning shares to the fund. The fund’s holdings are public information and are released daily for the benefit of potential and current investors.
ETFs have many advantages. With a low cost of entry and easy, flexible trading, almost anybody can begin trading ETFs
without feeling inadequate in terms of
members that are required to service the
knowledge or financial capacity. They are
accounts like there are with mutual funds.
often more transparent than mutual funds
This reduction in managerial costs may not
and offer more customization due to the
always be beneficial in the case of frequent
wide range of funds available. In addition
trading, but for many people it works out
to these benefits, ETFs also provide great
in the long run. With ETFs, only authorized
opportunities for diversification as well as
participants
a number of tax benefits.
formation, so money is saved on monthly
Because ETFs are traded during the day, they are easy to manage and quick to buy
have
access
to
the
in-
statements and transfers that are generally required for standard funds.
or sell. Investors can move their money
A final benefit to consider is that of tax
around quickly and efficiently, and even
advantages. Investors involved with ETFs
though that is not always recommended,
only have to pay capital gains taxes on the
many people consider it an advantage
sale of the ETF. Compare this to a mutual
over mutual funds. Much like stocks, inves-
fund, where owners must pay capital gains
tors can engage in short selling by using
taxes over the course of the entire life of
the possibility to sell borrowed securities
the investment. As an added benefit, ETFs
and buy them back later at a better price
generally have lower capital gains taxes
when they have to be returned to the
than mutual funds in the first place, thanks
lender.
to differences in how they are organized.
Diversification is considered a major bene-
There are also some drawbacks to ETFs.
fit of ETFs, as they are traded on every as-
For people who are well-versed in trading
set class, currency, and commodity across
individual stocks, the costs of ETFs can end
the world. Investors can make the decision
up being higher in the long run. An ETF
to invest in currency, stocks, commodities,
has an advantage over mutual and index
or any more specific sectors that they de-
funds, but because there is no managerial
sire. This means that they can choose from
fee for trading stocks, an experienced
a variety of industries in which to invest on
trader may opt against the ETF. Similarly,
their own rather than relying on a fund
because stocks have slightly higher risk,
manager to make the picks. While this can
they can offer a higher yield on dividends
be more volatile, it can also lead to higher
than most ETFs are capable of. Because
returns that can be cashed out at a much
ETFs are tied to a wider market, the yields
faster pace.
tend to be lower than that of specific stock
Low cost of entry is a major selling point of
or group of stocks.
ETFs. Every fund has expenses, but be-
While many people benefit from the fact
cause mutual funds often have costs asso-
that pricing changes throughout the day
ciated with brokerage firms and client ser-
and that ETFs can be bought and sold in
vices, their costs can often be higher than
the same manner, it can be excessive for
one would expect. With ETFs, administra-
certain types of investors. Long-term in-
tive costs are reduced because there are
vestors or retirement investors would
generally no back-office fees or staff
probably not benefit much from the most-
ly quick time horizon of ETFs. Volatile pric-
They are extremely diverse and are created
ing may prove to be dangerous for those
within a wide range of industries and sec-
investors who don’t have the time to pay
tors, offering a decent tax benefit com-
attention to the ETF throughout the course
pared to traditional funds. However, there
of the day.
are risks associated with ETFs such as
To summarize ETFs are one of many ways for investors to make money and educate themselves on the inner workings and overall health of the market. Because they are generally low cost and easily traded, they can provide both new and experi-
higher costs than stocks and low dividends, as well as volatility that may hurt long-term investors. People who are interested in ETFs should consider these advantages and draw-backs before deciding to invest.
enced investors with a quick way to get into the market and supplement their income.
Written by
Jan-Raphael Gritzmacher
Tijen Demircan
Author for Bull&Bear
Author for Bull&Bear
at EBS.Invest e.V.
at EBS.Invest e.V.
View LinkedIn Profile
View LinkedIn Profile
Real-life Sample for Exchange Traded Funds
Since the benefits and the risks of ETF’s
However, as already known from the pre-
have been elaborated in the previous arti-
vious article, it is of great importance to
cle, a more detailed view on an example
also look at other general facts about the
ETF (ComStage MSCI World TRN UCITS
ETF itself. As it can be seen in the chosen
ETF (ETF110)) should give a better under-
ComStage ETF, the replication method of
standing of the topic. The ETF will be pre-
the Fund is synthetic and so an unfunded
sented on firstly its investment strategy
swap. The strategy risk of the ETF is, as in
and its statistics.
most ETF’s, long-only. Although the ETF is located in Luxembourg (a tax simple coun-
The investment strategy of the ETF is
try) the currency of the fund is in USD$,
based on a high variety within its portfolio.
and so it also carries a certain currency
The MSCI World Index has access to 23
risk, as USD is not stable. The fund volatili-
different industrial countries with a total of
ty is rather high with 10.5%, as the volatili-
1654 titles in January 2017. Due to the
ty is an indicator for price fluctuation in
great number of titles included in the port-
the past investors prefer that it has a low
folio, it has an overall low susceptibility to
percentage. As the last fact, the ComStage
changes in the market. The earnings which
ETF is not equally weighted, since the per-
are achieved in the ETF are reinvested. The
centage of the assets differ.
total expense ratio of the ETF is 0.2% with a total fund volume of 1.254 million euros.
Interesting about this ETF are the active
Out of the view of an investor, the total
sectors in which it mostly invested. Their
expense ratio should be as low as possible
most significant sector is, with 21.16%, the
because it measures the total cost of a
Consumable & Consumer Goods closely
fund to the investor. Since it was founded
followed by Banking & Financial services
in 2008, the ETF increased by around 200%
with 17.97%, as well as IT with 17.04%.
and had a positive growth rate in each
Other smaller active sectors in which the
year. In the last three years the ever-
ETF invested are for example the Industry
increasing rates looked like this: In 2015
& Transportation comp., Pharma & Bio-
the ETF increased by 10,57%, in 2016 it
tech, and Oil, Gas & Metals with a total of
increased by 10,56% and last year in 2017
27.55%. The remaining active sectors have
it increased by 7.51%.
a too small percentage to be mentioned.
Source: https://www.finanz en.net/etf/comsta ge_msci_world_trn _ucits_etf
Finally, it is crucial to look at the invest-
As a conclusion, it can be said that the
ment in percentage in each country. The
ComStage MSCI World TRN UCITS ETF
ComStage ETF has its biggest investments
(ETF110) is a very interesting ETF as its
in the USA with 59.24%. The second big-
investments
gest country is Japan with 9.01% followed
We, as authors, hope that by taking the
by Great Britain in place three with 6.51%.
ComStage ETF as an example, the topic
are
widely
spread.
“ETF� itself became clearer and easier to understand.
Written by
Felix Heyd
Kilian Enders
Author for Bull&Bear
Author for Bull&Bear
at EBS.Invest e.V.
at EBS.Invest e.V.
View LinkedIn Profile
View LinkedIn Profile
Capital Asset Pricing Model The Capital Asset Pricing Model (CAPM) is a widely used financial tool that was developed by William F. Sharpe, John Lintner, Jan Mossin and Jack L. Treynor independently in the 1960s. Sharpe won the Nobel Price of Economics in 1990 for his discovery. The CAPM is based on the portfolio theory that was developed by Markowitz in 1952. Features & Functions The CAPM is a single factor economic model that is used to determine an appropriate rate of return of a single asset. That way, it is possible to evaluate whether it makes sense to add a certain asset in order to construct a well-diversified portfolio. It is also possible to evaluate the rate of return of whole portfolios using the model.
Assumptions The model is based on certain assumptions. Investors act rational and risk averse, they aim to maximize economic utilities and aim to diversify across numerous investments. Investors are not able to influence market prices, are able to lend and borrow money at a risk-free rate of interest and have access to the same information. There are no transaction costs and all assets are perfectly divisible and liquid. It acknowledges systematic risk, often called market risk. Market risk cannot be eliminated by diversification. An example for such risks are natural disasters or regulatory policies by the government that influence the whole market as opposed to only individual assets. The idiosyncratic risk on the other hand can be reduced through
One function this model serves is provid-
a well-diversified portfolio. The systematic
ing a benchmark for the rate of return
risk is usually represented by the quantity
when evaluating future investments. It is
beta (β). If a portfolio has a Beta of 1.25 in
possible to predict whether a forecast for a
relation to the S&P 500 Index, it is 25%
stock is higher or lower than its “fair” re-
more volatile than the S&P 500 Index.
turn in consideration of its risk. The CAPM
Other factors are the expected return of
also suits perfectly for comparing whether
the market and the expected return of a
different assets are under- or overvalued. If
theoretical risk-free asset. The CAPM fea-
the expected return is higher than what
tures zero transaction costs in order to get
the CAPM suggests, the asset under con-
rid of all idiosyncratic risk. This way, the
sideration is likely to be undervalued.
cost of equity capital is only determined by
This model can help determine the value of assets that have not been “priced in” by the market, such as new shares available through initial public offerings. This approach can also be applied when considering the amount of return investors will demand when the company introduces new projects.
beta. Market Portfolio When we sum up the portfolios of all individual investors with these assumptions, they will exactly mirror the entire wealth of the economy. This is called the market portfolio. The proportion of each stock is determined by the value of a stock (Price
per share * number of shares outstanding)
The CAPM equation:
divided by the sum of the market value of all stocks. If the Daimler stock for example makes up 1% of every individual portfolio, it makes up 1% of the market portfolio.
Expected Return of individual asset equals risk free rate of interest + sensitivity of the expected asset returns to the expected market returns of asset i *(expected return of market - Return of risk free asset) Security Market Line The Security Market Line (SML) is used to display the relation of expected return and systematic risk (beta). This is supposed to indicate how the market
Security Market Line
must price individual securities in relation to the extent of their security risk. That way, the SML enables the calculation of a reward-to-risk ratio for individual securities in relation to the ratio of the over-all market. If a Security does not lie on the SML, the CAPM does not hold for any calculations of an asset, since investors will get compensated for more or less than the systematic risk. Capital Market Line The Capital Market Line depicts the rates of return for efficient portfolios subject to the risk level for a market portfolio and the risk-free rate of return. The CML is If a company is not included in the optimal portfolio, the demand will be zero and the price will decrease. This way, the stock becomes more attractive to investors in comparison to other stocks. Ultimately, the company will reach a price where it will be included into the optimal portfolio again. These kinds of price adjustments are therefore the reason that every asset is included in the market portfolio.
created by sketching a tangent line from the intercept point of the efficient frontier to the place where the expected return of an asset equals the risk-free rate of return. The CML is superior to the efficient frontier as it considers the return of a risk-free asset in the market portfolio. It is necessary to acknowledge that the market will operate at the tangency of CML and the portfolio frontier of risky assets.
The efficient frontier represents all optimal
return the model calculates. However, the
portfolios with the highest expected re-
model gives a first approach for the re-
turn, including only risky assets. If a portfo-
quired expected return of the asset. CAPM
lio offers a lower expected return, but the
takes systematic risk into account, which is
same level of risk as other portfolios, it is
often ignored in other return models, such
considered suboptimal.
as the dividend discount model (DDM),
Pros, Cons and Alternatives
but should be taken into account. CAPM is simple and easy to calculate and in combi-
Despite failing multiple empirical tests, the
nation with other financial tools, it is im-
CAPM remains popular and well known
portant in order to support or discard pos-
due to its simplicity and utility. The accura-
sible investment options. The most com-
cy is deemed acceptable for important
mon alternative is the Arbitrage Pricing
applications. The main deficit of the CAPM
Theory (APT). As opposed to the CAPM,
is, that it relies on many unrealistic as-
the APT features multiple factors, including
sumptions. The risk-free rate derived from
non-company factors. This makes it harder
the U.S. treasury bill, is exposed to daily
to use, as users of the APT model must
changes in interest rates, which imple-
analytically determine relevant factors that
ments volatility. Secondly, the return on
might affect the asset’s return. Investors
the market is backwards-looking and may
may want to use the CAPM to determine
not be representative for future develop-
the expected theoretical appropriate rate
ments. Ultimately, investors are not able to
of return as it is a one-factor model and is
borrow or lend money at a risk-free rate,
thus easier to use.
which increases the minimum required
Written by
Max Opoczynski
Benedikt Kiefer
Author for Bull&Bear
Author for Bull&Bear
at EBS.Invest e.V.
at EBS.Invest e.V.
View LinkedIn Profile
View LinkedIn Profile
With the help of Pascal Jäger Author for Bull&Bear at EBS.Invest e.V. View LinkedIn Profile
The Fascinating World of
Hedge Funds
When it comes to fascinating topics in
Secondly, as hedge funds are relatively
finance, hedge funds are indeed one such
unregulated compared to mutual funds,
domain. In 1949, Mr. Alfred Winslow, who
hedge funds can invest in broader range of
was working for Fortune magazine, decid-
securities. While there are many hedge
ed to start his own investment fund to
funds that do invest in traditional securi-
raise $100,000 of which $40,000 was his
ties, such as stocks, bonds, commodities
own money. Jones limited the number of
and real estate, they are best known for
investors to 99 and used the concept of
using more sophisticated (and risky) in-
leverage and short selling as the two main
vestments and techniques.
investment strategies. As a result, Jones was able to generate bigger returns. However, the distinguishing feature of his fund was that the performance of his fund had little correlation with the performance of economy. Even when the economy was not doing well, the investors in Jones’ fund were “hedged” against the risk. Hedge funds didn’t become mainstream until 1960s when Warren Buffet and George Soros launched their own funds using Jones’ strategy. Before we delve into the market performance of hedge funds and its outlook for 2018, lets first understand what a hedge fund is.
Thirdly, hedge funds typically use “longshort” strategies, which invest in some balance of long positions (which means buying stocks) and short positions (which means selling stocks with borrowed money, then buying them back later when their price has, ideally fallen). Additionally, many hedge funds also invest in “derivatives,” (future & options) which are contracts to buy or sell another security at a specified price. Many hedge funds also use an investment technique called leverage, which is essentially investing with borrowed money—a strategy that could significantly increase return potential, but also creates greater risk of loss. In fact, the name “hedge fund”
A hedge fund is mostly targeted towards
is derived from the fact that hedge funds
the wealthy investors and is regarded as a
often seek to increase gains, and offset
private investment fund. A hedge fund can
losses, by hedging their investments using
be thought of as an investment vehicle like
a variety of sophisticated methods, includ-
mutual funds but the distinction between
ing leverage.
the two lies in the securities they invest in and to which customer segment they target.
When it comes to liquidity, hedge funds are typically not as liquid as mutual funds, meaning it is more difficult to sell your
Firstly, hedge funds are not currently regu-
shares. Mutual funds have a per-share
lated by the US SEC (Securities and Ex-
price (called a net asset value) that is cal-
change Commission) but mutual funds are.
culated each day, so you could sell your
However, in the future we may have regu-
shares at any time. Most hedge funds, in
lations on hedge funds as well.
contrast, seek to generate returns over a specific period called a “lockup period,”
during which investors cannot sell their
gained +8.7 percent in 2017, the strongest
shares. Private equity funds, which are sim-
calendar year return since 2013. Driven by
ilar to hedge funds, are even more illiquid
an active M&A environment, the HFRI
as they tend to invest in startup compa-
Event-Driven (total) Index produced a +7.7
nies, so investors can be locked in for
percent return for the year, led by a +11.9
years.
percent gain from the HFRI ED: Special
Considering the compensation spectrum, hedge fund managers are typically compensated differently from mutual fund managers. Mutual fund managers are paid fees regardless of their funds’ performance. Hedge fund managers, in contrast, receive a percentage of the returns they earn for investors, in addition to earning a “management fee”, typically in the range
Situations Index. Fixed income-based Relative Value Arbitrage (RVA) strategies received $1.3 billion of net inflows in 4Q17, increasing total RVA capital to $840 billion. RVA inflows were led by $2.2 billion of new capital invested into RVA: Corporate funds, which was partially offset by outflows of $1.7 billion from RVA: Multi-Strategy funds.
of 1% to 4% of the net asset value of the
The fourth quarter inflow helped to pare
fund. This feature of hedge funds is ap-
the FY17 outflow of $5.6 billion from RVA
pealing to investors who are frustrated
strategies, of which $5.4 billion occurred in
when they must pay fees to a poorly per-
1Q17. The HFRI Relative Value (Total) In-
forming mutual fund manager. On the
dex gained +5.1 percent for 2017, as US
down side, this compensation structure
interest rates remained relatively stable
could lead hedge fund managers to invest
throughout the year and a new Chairman
aggressively to achieve higher returns —
of the US Federal Reserve Bank was ap-
increasing investor risk.
pointed. Macro funds received $660 million of net inflows in 4Q17, increasing the FY17 inflow to $10.8 billion, which led all
The performance of hedge funds conclud-
hedge fund strategies. Total Macro AUM
ed 2017 with the strongest capital inflows
(Assets Under Management) ended the
since second quarter of 2015, driving total
year at $599 billion, an all-time high. Sub-
assets to new record. Compared to the
strategy inflows for the year were led by
performance in 2003, 2017 marked the
quantitative trend following CTA funds,
first year without any monthly decline.
which received $9.8 billion of new capital,
Compared to 2016, total hedge fund in-
and Currency strategies, which collected
dustry capital increased by $59 billion to
over $5.1 billion.
$3.21 trillion. Investors allocated $6.9 billion of new capital to hedge funds in 4Q17, the highest quarterly inflows since 2Q15, bringing total 2017 inflows to $9.8 billion.
The HFRI Macro (Total) Index climbed +2.2 percent in 2017, led by a +5.3 percent gain from the HFRI Macro: Multi-Strategy Index. Equity Hedge (EH), the industry’s largest
December marked the fourteenth con-
strategy area, experienced outflows over
secutive monthly advance of the HFRI
the quarter, as investors pared equity beta
Fund Weighted Composite Index®, which
exposure on strong gains in both direct
equity markets and EH hedge funds. Inves-
new US Federal Reserve Chairman, strong
tors redeemed $2.0 billion from EH funds
M&A activities in healthcare & technology
in fourth quarter, bringing the FY17 out-
sector as well as in media and governance.
flow to $5.4 billion, though total EH AUM
Two more factors that will play a crucial
increased to $939 billion because of strong
role in the hedge fund industry will be the
performance gains.
US policies on infrastructure and taxes and
For the year, EH sub-strategy inflows were led by Multi-Strategy and Quantitative
the transformative impact of blockchain technology.
Directional funds, each of which received $7.1 billion of net investor capital, but these were offset by outflows of $13.6 billion from Fundamental Value and $9.2 billion from Fundamental Growth funds. The HFRI Equity Hedge (Total) Index topped all main strategies with a +13.5 percent return in 2017, while the HFRI EH: Fundamental Growth led all sub strategies with a gain of +19.5 percent. The HFRI Emerging Markets (Total) Index surged +20.1 percent in 2017, led by the HFRI India and HFRI China indices, which gained +36.9 and +32.2 percent, respectively. Flows by firm size for 2017 were led by managers with less than $1 billion, as these received $7.4 billion of new capital,
Written by
while the industry’s largest managers, those with greater than $5 billion AUM, received $6.3 billion of inflows. Investors withdrew a net $3.9 billion from firms managing between $1 billion to $5 billion. In a nutshell, 2017 can be regarded as a historic year in the hedge fund industry that included advancements in core and emerging
industries.
The
performance
gains were also consistent with the evolution of risk parity, cryptocurrencies and blockchain. When it comes to the outlook towards 2018, it can be said that 2018 presents new challenges and opportunities especially with regards to appointment of
Gautam Kumar Head of Research at EBS.Invest e.V. Chief Responsibility for Bull&Bear View LinkedIn Profile
What are Options? Options are a great instrument for inves-
sometimes followed by a disappointment,
tors to manage risks and stay flexible at
because options are also useful for long-
every level. They are great for every inves-
term buy-and-hold investors.
tor´s portfolio, but before buying them you shall know their definition, their purpose,
Option Trading: Purpose
the reason of their popularity and where to
Most of investors are attracted to option
start.
trading by many reasons, such as:
Options are contracts with pre-negotiated
■
initial outlay than buying the stock.
prices and certain dates which allow you to buy or sell a stock. Most common amount
■ ■
price without the obligation to buy.
asset outright, for example: Buy or sell shares of a stock at an agreed-upon
price
(the
“strike
price”) for a limited period. ■
Sell the contract to another investor.
■
Let the option contract expire and walk away without further financial obligation.
There is an opinion that options are an instrument for investors with commitment issues. Of course, it is possible, if an investor is interested in speculating with shorttime movements and trading contracts with an expectance of profit, which is
An option protects investors from downside risk by locking in the
are alternatives to buying or shorting the
■
An option buys an investor time to see how things play out.
are 100 shares of the stock per contract. They allow you a variety of actions, which
Buying an option requires a smaller
An investor, who is sure that the stock price of a company is going to rise, will probably use a so-called “call-option”, which is a contract with a right to purchase shares of a certain company at a specified price later. In case of maturing an investor gets a better price for buying the stock compared to the open market, otherwise his losses are limited to the price of contract. A possible financial loss on stock positions in investor’s portfolio can also be limited. If an investor is worried about short-term volatility wiping out his investment gains, he will try to sell several shares at a prede-
termined price, which is a result of buying
option would be offset by the losses in-
„put” options.
curred on the stock. So, buying a put option on a stock, which an investor does not
Call Options
own, is more reasonable.
Having a right to buy a stock from an investor, who sold you the call option at a specific price on or before a specified date is a key advantage of a call option: an option comes with terms such as a strike price and the expiration date. Let´s imagine an investor buys a call option on a firm X with a possibility to buy an option for $35 (the strike price) until the second Thursday in November (the expiration date): in case of a rise of a value of firm X over the strike price before the expiration date, an investor can buy it under its market price, exercise it, or even sell it to other investors for a profit.
These examples are very important for basic understanding of options. One must understand that buying an option gives him a right but not an obligation to buy a stock. If it is of one´s interest, he would do nothing with the option until the expiration date and the option would become worthless meaning that one would use 100% of his investment. Second, an option is merely a contract that deals with an underlying asset: that´s why they are called derivatives. The underlying asset will typically be a stock or stock index, but options are actively traded on all sorts of financial securities such as bonds, foreign curren-
In case the firm X stays below the strike
cies, commodities, and even other deriva-
price, your options won´t be attractive for
tives.
other investors, because no one would want to pay for an allowance to overpay for a stock.
The most widely used method of explaining this is via the housing industry.
Put Options In case of a put option the only big difference to a call option is that you buy a right to sell a stock. The terms strike price and expiration date also play a role at those options: an investor buys a put option for $6 on the Firm Y and has a time limit of three weeks to sell it. If the firm Y falls before the expiration date, an investor will have a possibility to sell it for a higher price than its market price or sell it to another investor for a profit. investor owns is a legitimate, but not profhedging
strategy,
There is an apartment you dream of, but it´s unaffordable as you can´t spend $100,00 on it, which is its current price. However, you don´t give up and contact the owner of an apartment willing to create a contract for your right to buy this apartment within next 6 months for $110,000(considering the rising cost of housing). The owner is smart and wants you to pay him $5,000 as a “downpayment” or a premium in case you change your mind and never show up again.
Buying a put option on a stock that an itable
Another Example:
because
the
amount of money coming from the put
There are two possible outcomes with an apartment of your dream within the next 6 months, even though the price of an apartment for you is already negotiated:
the market value of an apartment can rise
you profit. If the stock's value crashes, all
to $200,000. For you it´s still $110,000, so
you've lost is your premium.
the rest is your profit or your savings. The second outcome is the price drop to $80,000, but since you have the right to buy it and not the obligation, you can forget about your contract with the owner and lose your $5,000 premium. Conclusion:
Options make it possible for day traders to continue to buy or sell shares as often as possible, if they desire, which is a possible profit that can appear many times over from stock price movements. There are many strategies day traders can construct and apply to options trading depending
When you buy an option, you get the right, but not the obligation, to buy the related stock at a future date, but at a price you specify now. If the stock's market value rises above your agreed-upon price,
on whether the security is likely to rise, fall, or be in a stable holding pattern. It is up to them which level of risk they tolerate and this is what makes option trading one of the most exciting possibilities available on the market.
Written by
Philippe Braum
Arsenij Geld
Author for Bull&Bear
Author for Bull&Bear
at EBS.Invest e.V.
at EBS.Invest e.V.
Thank you very much for reading our third edition, this time about Investment, Markets and Regulation! One last time, we hope it was as exciting to read as it was for us to create. If you have any concerns, questions, business inquiries or further food for thoughts feel most invited to contact us.
Thanks to this edition’s team: Jan-Raphael Gritzmacher, Tijen Demircan, Felix Heyd, Kilian Enders, Max Opoczynski, Pascal Jäger, Benedikt Kiefer, Philippe Braum, Arsenij Geld and Heads of Research (Gautam Kumar & Johan ten Doornkaat) Layout/ Composition & Editorial Supervision: Johan ten Doornkaat Chief Responsibility: Gautam Kumar, Johan ten Doornkaat
Cover Page Design Annisa Qurratu'Ain
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