I previously wrote an article about distressed debt hedge funds and the popularity of such funds as they try to get in for a deal. However, the considerable amount of media attention which has been focused on this sector of the market has spooked investors enough to get them moving on redemption day. FINaltenatives is reporting that a fairly large hedge fund managed by Turnberry Capital Management is completely closing its doors. It is at least somewhat surprising that a group this large (the fund reportedly ran up to $800 million at one point) would close its doors immediately instead of trying to wind the fund down over the course of a couple redemption dates.

A few reasons why they might want to wind down the fund over a period of time may include: (1) the fund offering documents did not include a hedge fund gate provision, (2) the manager no longer thought the fund’s strategy was viable with such a severely reduced asset base or (3) the manager thought that he could get the best prices on the assets if he sold them in a large bundle instead of piece meal over time. The article also stated the manager is planning to start a corporate bond fund, which is another reason the manager decided to wind the fund down immediately.

What is most interesting about this event is the disconnect between the strategies managers wish to pursue and the strategies that the investing masses are willing to (remain) invest(ed) in.

The article is at http://www.finalternatives.com/node/5251.