Hedge Funds are one of the fastest growing sectors of asset management. The industry has changed from being a small number of firms that features big name players such as George Soros and Julian Robertson, to a large market involving many thousands of companies. Press reports of the spectacular success and failure of firms such as the Quantum Fund, the Tiger Fund and LTCM have led to many misconceptions concerning hedge funds, their power and their influence. This state of affairs is not helped by the fact that they are exempt from regulation and little is known about them. This book dispels several misconceptions about hedge funds′ operations and provides an impartial, up to date and comprehensive blend of theoretical and practical analysis of the market. The book also shows readers the fundamental concepts needed to understand strategies used by the funds and their potential positive and negative contributions to investment portfolios.