BloggingStocks – Over the past few weeks you probably saw signs in retail stores touting "big sales" with discounts of 50% to 70& off. It seems that Wall Street has caught on to main street’s way of doing business – discounts, discounts, discounts!
The Renaissance Technologies LLC, a large hedge fund, has waived all of its management fees for 2009. Originally it charged a 1% fixed management fee, but with the new policy it will take a $30 million dollar haircut. However, the other larger Simon’s Renaissance Institutional Equities Fund will not cut its management fee in 2009. Other funds are using similar practices. The Citadel Investment Group LLC gave back about $300 million dollars in fees it collected in 2008.
Renaissance, like many other hedge funds, suffered losses in 2008 ranging from 12% to 16% but managed to beat the S & P losses by 4-6%.