With 33 million Americans now playing Fantasy Football, some estimate that the hobby costs employers $6.5 billion in revenue if employees spend just one hour a week on their teams. Perhaps trying to justify that cost with Fantasy Football playoffs starting this week, some are now arguing that Fantasy Football strategies can make someone a smarter investor. Thinking long term, diversifying, making real-time moves and remaining disciplined can improve a portfolio as well as success on the virtual gridiron.
Rough Year
It’s been a bad year for hedge funds. In the first half of 2014, 461 hedge funds closed up, with Brevan Howard Asset Management LLP becoming the latest last week when it announced that it was shuttering a $630 million commodity fund. At this rate, it will be the worst year since 2009, when 1,023 hedge funds closed. According to Bloomberg, many of the closures have been macro funds, which complain that low interest rates and muted swings in prices make it too difficult to make money.