Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of June 11, 2013?

Article Excerpt

Investors are often surprised when I tell them I see nothing inherently wrong with the basic concept of a hedge fund. In essence, hedge-fund managers are supposed to buy stocks they like, while simultaneously selling short in stocks they feel are unattractive. This aims to put their fund in a “market-neutral” position. By buying good stocks and shorting bad ones, you have hedged your stock market exposure. Theoretically, this means you make money regardless of which way the market moves. If the market goes up, all or most of the stocks you own or have shorted are likely to gain as well. However, if you have chosen your buys and short sales wisely, and diversified, the stocks you own are likely to gain more value in total than the stocks you’ve sold short. You are unlikely to make as much profit in a rising market as a so-called “long-only” investor (one who only bought stocks but didn’t do any shorting). But…