The Invisible Hands: Top Hedge Fund Traders on Bubbles, Crashes, and Real Money [Hardcover]

Steven Drobny (Author), Nouriel Roubini (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 5, 2010

Timely investment advice from the investors who survived—and thrived—during the economic crisis

In light of the colossal losses and ongoing difficulties caused by the financial crisis, it's obvious that the time has come to rethink money management in the broadest of terms. Drastic changes are clearly in order, but no new model has yet been implemented. Steven Drobny explores a new model from a simple starting point—by consulting the traders and managers who actually made money during this profoundly difficult period. In The Invisible Hands, top global macro managers reveal their own (clearly successful) approaches to markets and risk, suggesting important tenets for money management in a future, precarious world.

Providing money managers and investors with the proven expertise of the best and most successful players in money management and detailing many specific elements of their risk management processes, The Invisible Hands:

• Outlines investment strategies for the rocky road ahead
• Provides guidance on how real money managers can implement certain elements of macro hedge fund strategies, developing a new paradigm of portfolio construction anchored in superior risk management
• Reveals intimate aspects of the investment processes of some of today's top hedge fund managers

The book highlights the similarities among successful traders, showing that the investment process should be anchored in understanding the true risk-adjusted returns in your portfolio.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED, to paraphrase Mark Twain, with the return of your money than the return on your money? If so, a new book, The Invisible Hands, might be of interest. Written by Steven Drobny, founder of hedge-fund consultant Drobny Global Advisors, the book, subtitled Hedge Funds Off the Record -- Rethinking Real Money, focuses on the mistakes made and lessons learned in the financial crisis of 2008. The author says pension funds, endowments, foundations and other institutional investors must adopt a forward-looking, risk-based approach to investing, especially if they have annual cash needs." (Barron's, May 31, 2010)

"Wildly enjoyed reading this solely for the vast amount of information and advice divulged.... The insight divulged in part two of is priceless.... Many books that have come out of the financial crisis focus on learning from mistakes. On the other hand, Drobny's book pinpoints managers who fared well in 2008 as they were either able to preserve capital or grow it. This allows readers to learn from those who found success during a time when many others failed.... We treasured The Invisible Hands: Hedge Funds Off the Record and highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn from top hedge fund managers. We found the book's particular focus on global macro strategies especially intriguing given that the majority of the coverage on our site centers on long/short equity hedge funds. Those of you looking for a peephole into the fast paced world of global macro would find this book advantageous. And if you manage money, then Drobny's new boook is simply a must read." (Marketfolly.com)

From the Inside Flap

The crash of 2008 crushed "real money" investors (endowments, pensions, foundations, and family offices). World markets—from real estate and equities to commodities and credit—collapsed. Some of the world's most venerable financial institutions disappeared, while many hedge fund, private equity, venture capital, and real asset managers suffered immense losses. Yet, the world has not ended, and now, all investors must adapt to the new reality.

Analyzing money managers who fared well in 2008—either by posting strong performance or by preserving capital—is a logical starting point. Global macro hedge funds are those money managers. Risk management is a key differentiator during crises, and global macro hedge fund managers anchor their investment processes in risk, rather than targeting outsized returns.

In The Invisible Hands, Steven Drobny—cofounder of Drobny Global Advisors and author of Inside the House of Money—again reaches out to his professional network of leading global macro hedge fund managers to better understand how their risk management, investment, and portfolio construction process enabled them to effectively navigate the crash of '08. With this book as your guide, you'll glean valuable insights from unparalleled access to these winners in order to adapt to the new financial reality we all now face.

The Invisible Hands begins by addressing the importance of "real money" management, examining its evolution and raising important questions about how portfolios are constructed. In Part Two, the experts or "Invisible Hands"—ten anonymous global macro hedge fund managers—discuss how they approach money management, revealing how they made money or avoided large losses during the crisis of 2008, and detailing how they would address some of the challenges faced by real money managers. Part Three introduces the invisible hand known as "The Pensioner," who provides an inside look at the real money world.

Along the way, The Invisible Hands also:

• Examines some of the fundamental questions currently being asked by all investors as they struggle to understand the new paradigm of the post-crisis world

• Questions some core tenets of asset allocation and portfolio construction as these concepts are applied by real money investors

• Reveals how some of the best in the hedge fund business are positioning themselves for the uncertain road ahead

• And much more

Page by page, The Invisible Hands provides investors and traders with the latest thinking from some of the best players in money management, highlighting the specific risk and return objectives of each, and discussing the evolution of certain styles and beliefs in money management. This book will allow you to discover how successful global macro hedge fund managers navigated the most significant financial crisis of our lifetime and learn how to incorporate certain elements of their approach into your own investment endeavors.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 444 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (April 5, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047060753X
• ISBN-13: 978-0470607534
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #550,189 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Business & Investing > Investing > Mutual Funds

More About the Author

Steven Drobny is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Drobny Global Asset Management, a leading independent investment management firm dedicated to offering hedge fund solutions to institutional investors (pensions, sovereign wealth funds, foundations, university endowments, family offices, and other asset managers). Prior to Drobny Global Asset Management, Steven worked for Deutsche Bank's Hedge Fund Group in London, Singapore, and Zurich. He holds a master's degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor's degree from Bucknell University. Steven Drobny is the author of Inside the House of Money: Top Hedge Fund Traders on Profiting in the Global Market, and most recently The Invisible Hands: Top Hedge Fund Traders On Bubbles, Crashes, and Real Money. Please visit www.drobnycapital.com for more information on Mr. Drobny and his books.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Insights for serious money managers March 26, 2010

By Andrew MacKay

Format:Kindle Edition

I read both Michael Lewis' "The Big Short" and Steve Drobny's "The Invisible Hands" this week and found them both fascinating. As per usual, Lewis is a wonderful story teller which makes "The Big Short" a fun read, though the book sensationalizes a few guys who made great one-off trades. Drobny's book, on the other hand, focuses on traders who are not one-trick ponies, but the stalwarts of sound investment. These are the less known, but equally successful traders that are often guarded about their methods and secretive about their dealings. The candid insight in "The Invisible Hands" is both impressive and enlightening and full of good ideas for the most effective ways to manage money in the future. It is a must read for anyone who manages money professionally.

26 of 29 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Skin in the game April 10, 2010

By Anonymous

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

While there are plenty of books cataloging the events of 2008, few have the direct insights of the participants who were actually putting their own money on the line. It's rare to get access to the thinking and process of such successful managers as they often have little incentive to disclose such information. As a result, we are buried by the media with market pundits sensationalizing investing and who have very little skin in the game. Here you get to sit in the passenger seat with a turn by turn account of why they did what they did in 2008 and how they anticipated what many failed to see. While each manager is different in style and perspective you discover that they all share a common ability to think independently and find trades with highly asymmetric payouts. If you want to learn how to really "think" like a successful macro manager read this book, if you want to simply be entertained then sit back, follow the herd and watch CNBC.

26 of 30 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Hedgies & Real Money Managers 'fess u May 22, 2010

By Arbinvestor

Format:Hardcover

Drobney has compiled a decent enough book which will be of short term interest to those who track the markets. However, the format is not original and was far better done in Market Wizards and New Market Wizards by Schwager. These books are also likely to stand the test of time far better than Invisible Hands.

The anonymity in the book of most of the interviewees proves annoying as you can only really place their insights in context if you know who they are. Having said all of this it does provide an interesting look inside the macro global funds that have been pushing and pulling markets in recent months / years. Clearly Drobney has a view on what he was being told by the interviewees but there is limited analysis of their responses. The result is lightweight in parts and comprises little more than an extended set of interviews with faceless money managers who did not drink quite as much Kool Aid as many others.