Recently there have been some heart-chilling reports of how hedge
funds are making massive profits out of this global crisis.
For those of us who normally try not to think too much about
the murky world of big finance, this raises the question of what the hell is a
hedge fund anyway ?
Seemingly, the hedge bit means a barrier, to prevent losses
whether the market is expanding or contracting, so investors will profit either
way.
And one of the most dodgy aspects of these dodgy funds is
the concept of short selling. Investors look for stock whose worth is likely to
drop in the short term, before bouncing back. For instance, budget airlines in
a time of global immobility which, despite the hopes of anyone who gives a
stuff about the environment, are likely to come back with gusto as soon as the
lock downs are lifted, regardless of whether they manage to wheedle some
publicly funded bailout from the governments.
So, essentially, hedge funds are a means by which the
richest 10% of the global population, who already own 85% of global wealth, can
get even richer by betting on the outcome of catastrophes.
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