SEC Brings Case Against Raj Rajaratnam Below is another case of a hedge fund manager who was alledgedly engaged in insider trading. The SEC seems particularly excited about this cased because of the high profile nature of the manager who was involved. The major charge is against Raj Rajaratnam who [...]

CFTC Chairman Gensler Applauds “Historic Progress” In a first step towards increased regulation of the over-the-counter derivatives markets, the House Financial Services Committee approved the Over-the-Counter Derivatives Markets Act of 2009.  The act is one of several initiatives to increase regulatory oversight of the financial markets and if passed by [...]

Life Settlements Likely to be Hot Regulatory Topic The life settlement industry has seen an increase in the recognition in the weeks following a New York Times story of securitization of life settlements. Congress has already held hearings on these investments and the likely impact they will have on the [...]

Hedge Fund Due Diligence Firm Releases White Paper We’ve published a number of thoughtful pieces on this blog from Chris Addy, president and CEO of Castle Hall Alternatives (see, for example, article on Hedge Fund Auditors).  Today we are publishing a press release which announces a new white paper from [...]

New Investment Fund Focuses on Tech Start Ups New Trend Emerges in Silicon Valley The first quarter of 2009 marked the lowest level of investment since 1997, according to the National Venture Capital Associates.  The Venture industry in particular has suffered as the number of IPOs and acquisitions has plummeted.   [...]

Treasury and Fed Name Lucky Hedge Fund Managers The Treasury and the Fed just announced the hedge fund management companies which will be participating in the first round of the PPIP.  The following press release can be found here. **** July 8, 2009 TG-200 Joint Statement by Secretary of the [...]

Chairman Gary Gensler Discusses Over-the-Counter Derivatives Regulation and Hedge Funds CFTC Chairman Gary Gensler has been busy lately testifying before Congress and now speaking to the Managed Futures Association.  His remarks to the MFA, which can be found here and which are reprinted in full below, mirror his earlier statements [...]

Increased regulation looming as SEC and CFTC jockey for position The  severe financial crisis that has unfolded over the last two years has revealed serious weaknesses in the structure of U.S. financial regulation, as well as the pressing need for a comprehensive regulatory framework.  Part of President Obama’s new financial [...]

Nirvana Solutions’ White Paper Predicts the Emergence of a New Model of Prime Brokerage – The Multi-Prime Service Platform San Francisco – June 15, 2009 – The financial crisis of 2008 has upset the relatively stable equilibrium previously maintained between hedge fund managers and their traditional service providers, according to [...]

Statement of Gary Gensler Chairman, Commodity Futures Trading Commission On June 4th, 2009, Gary Gensler, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, held a hearing before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry to address the importance of enacting broad reforms to regulate over-the-counter (OTC) derivates.  Gensler emphasized that [...]