Cliff Asness Slams Hedge Fund Fees

Here what Asness, who founded quant fund AQR Capital told Financial News:

“Hedge funds generally offer a nice portfolio (gross of fees!) of passive beta, alpha, and a middle ground we call hedge fund beta or style premia. But, unfortunately, managers like to charge fees as if it’s all alpha.”He said: “Most hedge fund strategies are more about very competent implementation and fair fees and terms, than they are about ‘genius’.”

All this uproar is about the infamous "2 and 20" hedge fund payment scheme (2 and 20 = 2% of AUM charged for management fees, 20% returns above a certain benchmark go to the fund). Soros said that it's eating into hedge fund profits and is part of the reason they can't beat the market.

Maybe this means Asness and Soros can be each other's only hedge fund manager friends.