Tail Risk in Hedge Funds: A Unique View from Portfolio Holdings

Abstract

We develop a new systematic tail risk measure for equity-oriented hedge funds to examine the impact of tail risk on fund performance and to identify the sources of tail risk. We find that tail risk affects the cross-sectional variation in fund returns, and investments in both, tail-sensitive stocks as well as options, drive tail risk. Moreover, leverage and exposure to funding liquidity shocks are important determinants of tail risk. We find evidence of some funds being able to time tail risk exposure prior to the recent financial crisis.

Keywords: Hedge Funds, Tail Risk, Portfolio Holdings, Funding Liquidity Risk, Leverage

JEL Classification: G11, G23