• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock

1

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'

2

Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026

3

Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Finance

2015 Was the First Time Since the Recession That More Hedge Funds Closed Than Opened

Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
Lucinda Shen
By
Lucinda Shen
Lucinda Shen
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 17, 2016, 6:17 PM ET
A Wall Street near the New York Stock Exchange.
A Wall Street near the New York Stock Exchange.Photograph by Spencer Platt—Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

2015 was a train wreck for many hedge fund managers.

It was a punishing year for hedge funds, with brutal losses and several high-profile closures, including that of $1.5 billion SAB Capital Management and $1.5 billion Nevsky management, unhinging the industry.

979 hedge funds shut their doors in 2015, driven by global market volatility, low oil prices, and the rising price of the dollar by the tail end of the year. Industry-wide losses tallied 1.39%, according to Hedge Fund Research.

But the closures alone aren’t too troubling: For every 20 hedge funds that has opened since 2005, about 17 liquidate.

What’s alarming is that 2015 was the first year since the height of the 2008 global financial crisis that the number of hedge fund closures outstripped the number of funds that opened. In 2015, 968 hedge funds opened—11 fewer than the number of hedge funds that shuttered their doors. In 2007, a whopping 1,471 hedge funds liquidated while just 659 opened, according to Hedge Fund Research.

2015 was also the first time since 2007 that fewer hedge funds were operating by year end than the year before. In 2015, about 8,454 funds were still open, 112 below levels from a year earlier. In contrast, 2007 started with 789 hedge funds less.

But as a group, hedge funds have seen assets continue to grow to $2.9 trillion from $2.85 trillion a year earlier—with most of the assets consolidating, or growing, in the hands of large hedge funds: those managing $5 billion or more. Such hedge funds accounted for 60.9% of assets in 2015, while medium sized firms, those with $1 billion to $2 billion, accounted for 21.05% of asssets.

And there are other notable differences between 2007 and 2015 for the hedge fund industry. Managers seem far more cautious about rolling out a new hedge fund than those at the height of the housing bubble in 2005, when a record-breaking 2,073 hedge funds opened roughly a decade and a half after the trading style gained renewed interest from Wall Street. Since 2007 however, the number of hedge funds opened has hovered around 900 to 1,100 each year.

 

It remains to be seen if the sector is expected to tighten even more. So far, 2016 hasn’t looked any more promising for hedge fund managers.

Hedge funds lost 2.63% year to date, tracking below even the S&P 500 Index’s 0.82% loss, while many investors have soured on the trading style.

J.P. Morgan Private Bank, the wealth management arm of J.P. Morgan Chase, said it reduced hedge fund exposure in its growth-oriented portfolio in 2015. The U.S.’s largest public pension fund, CalPERS decided to stop investing in hedge funds entirely in 2014.

 

About the Author
Lucinda Shen
By Lucinda Shen
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

Alan Greenspan testifying before the Senate Banking Committee.
BankingFederal Reserve
The man who invented the Fed’s magic trick just died. His successor is about to try it again
By Eva RoytburgJune 23, 2026
2 hours ago
data
EnergyData centers
AI’s power hunger is turning electric utilities into Wall Street growth stocks — and customers may pay the price
By Conor Harrison and The ConversationJune 23, 2026
3 hours ago
k
PoliticsElections
Coming to an election near you: prediction markets
By Matt Motta, Robert Ralston and The ConversationJune 23, 2026
3 hours ago
Woman hides from the sun in front of Big Ben in London
EconomyEurope
‘London isn’t just calling—it’s cooking.’ Europe’s largest economies face over $600 billion in heat-driven losses by 2030
By Tristan BoveJune 23, 2026
3 hours ago
Young woman shopper in store
SuccessPersonal Finance
Bed Bath & Beyond will splash out $100,00 on a home renovation for the thriftiest couponer of 2026
By Emma BurleighJune 23, 2026
5 hours ago
ks
PoliticsUnited Kingdom
10 years of Brexit means 7 Prime Ministers and a broken British politics
By Jill Lawless and The Associated PressJune 23, 2026
6 hours ago

Most Popular

Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
Success
Former U.S. Secret Service agent says bringing your authentic self to work stifles teamwork: 'You don’t get high performers, you get sloppiness'
By Sydney LakeJune 21, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of June 22, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 22, 2026
1 day ago
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
Banking
Markets tumble worldwide as Fed resets expectations: $400 billion wiped off SpaceX stock
By Jim EdwardsJune 23, 2026
10 hours ago
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 22, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of silver as of Monday, June 22, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJune 22, 2026
1 day ago
The Fed is fed up with inflation and will bring down the hammer with a series of rate hikes this year, reversing earlier cuts, BofA says
Economy
The Fed is fed up with inflation and will bring down the hammer with a series of rate hikes this year, reversing earlier cuts, BofA says
By Jason MaJune 22, 2026
1 day ago
By 7 a.m., Bank of America’s CEO has already read 5 newspapers, his email inbox, and hit the gym—he says if you’re late to meetings, you’re ‘selfish’
Success
By 7 a.m., Bank of America’s CEO has already read 5 newspapers, his email inbox, and hit the gym—he says if you’re late to meetings, you’re ‘selfish’
By Preston ForeJune 22, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.