GIPS Committee Provides Eagerly-Anticipated Guidance on Presentation of Hedge Fund Performance Information for Master-Feeder Structures, Side Pockets, Illiquid Assets and Other Assets, Strategies and Structures

As established by the CFA Institute in 1999, the “Global Investment Performance Standards” (GIPS) for the presentation of investment performance information aims to create ethical, global and industry-wide methods of communicating investment results to prospective clients.  On March 15, 2011, the GIPS Executive Committee released its “Exposure Draft of the Guidance Statement on Alternative Investment Strategies and Structures” (Guidance Statement) in an effort to provide dedicated guidance to firms that manage hedge funds, funds-of-funds, master-feeder funds and other alternative investment strategies so they may better understand and meet the GIPS standards.  The Executive Committee decided to produce these standards due to the perception among many alternative investment firms that the lack of such guidance complicated compliance with GIPS.  Accordingly, the GIPS standards, which focus on the underlying GIPS principles of “fair representation and full disclosure,” provide a framework that substantially all hedge fund and other private fund managers can apply to a variety of assets, structures and strategies.  The exposure draft is open for public comment until June 15, 2011.  This article provides a comprehensive summary of the exposure draft, focusing on the items most relevant to presentation of hedge fund performance information.

To read the full article

Continue reading your article with a HFLR subscription.