A.I.R.A.P. - Alternative Views on Alternative Investments

Abstract

This paper investigates issues of risk-adjusted performance, value added and leverage for hedge funds. It applies AIRAP (Alternative Investments Risk Adjusted Performance), which is the power utility implied certain return that a risk-averse investor would trade off for holding risky assets, to hedge fund indices and individual hedge fund data. Inferences are made about the value added by hedge funds and the difference between directional and non-directional strategies. Evidence of non-normality, higher moment risks and the trade-off between mean-variance profile vis-a-vis skewness and kurtosis is noted across style categories. Further, survivorship bias is estimated across style categories in the first four moments.