Hedge fund managers are the new "masters of the universe." The best earn more than $1 billion a year and are so sought after that they can afford to turn investor money away. The funds they run have, to some extent, established an alternative financial system, replacing banks as lenders to risky companies, acting as providers of liquidity to markets and insurers of last resort for risks such as hurricanes, and replacing pension funds and mutual funds as the most significant investors in many companies—even in some cases buying companies outright. The revised and updated second edition of this lively guide sheds much needed light on the world of hedge funds by explaining what they are, what they do, who the main players are, the regulations affecting them, the arguments as to whether they are a force for good or bad, and what the future holds for them. "More people have a view about hedge funds than know about them. Philip Coggan bridges the knowledge gap in this clearly written guide. Every chapter is a goldmine of information and analysis, making it easy to learn about hedge funds. No investor, no investment adviser, no trustee, no dinner-table conversationalist should express opinions on the sector until they have read this book." —Elroy Dimson, BGI Professor of Investment Management, London Business School "While much has been written about hedge fund strategies and their (occasionally spectacular) failures, we have not yet seen a general primer to help the investor understand the world of hedge funds. Philip Coggan presents us with exactly that—a well-written, succinct summary of a world we all need to understand better." —Rob Arnott, Chairman of Research Affiliates and Editor Emeritus of the Financial Analysts Journal