20 of London’s top hedge funds – and what they pay
Everyone wants to be at a hedge fund, apparently.
It’s easy to see why. More money than banking and private equity. Less hours too, apparently – even if the jobs aren't always that secure.
Part of the problem is that smaller hedge funds come and go like the tide – a report from a few years ago by Goldman Sachs found that barely half of funds survive their first decade, and the more money they start with ($250m a few years ago – more now), the better their survival rate.
What does that mean for you? Well, it probably helps to work for bigger funds, and in particular for bigger pods in the multistrategy firms.
Which are these? We don't have pod by pod data but we’ve trawled through companies house (the UK register of private companies) to pull the compensation and employee numbers for 20 of the biggest hedge funds in the world in London. Their average pay per head is in the chart below. It’s worth noting that these numbers include all staff at the fund, including administrative staff, which pull average pay down significantly. We haven't included partner pay as partners are often corporate entities rather than actual human beings.
How do you get a job at these funds? Some have graduate schemes, some don’t. Mostly you need a record of exceptional pnl generation within strict risk boundaries.
Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: Zeno.Toulon@efinancialcareers.com in the first instance.
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