Steve Cohen is plotting a huge comeback with biggest hedge launch ever
By
Carleton English
May 30, 2017 | 11:53am |
Updated
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Steven Cohen AP
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Steve Cohen is planning a big comeback in 2018.
The hedge fund billionaire behind Point72 is planning to launch a new hedge fund early next year with $20 billion in assets, according to reports. That figure would eclipse the reported peak $16 billion in assets his previous hedge fund, SAC Capital, managed at one point.
Not only would the launch be the biggest in hedge-fund history, it would mark a stunning turnaround for Cohen, who was barred by the Securities and Exchange Commission from managing outside money until 2018.
Cohen, 60, who is thought to be the inspiration behind the Showtime hit “Billions,” has been managing his own $11 billion fortune through Point72 since 2014 — just after his previous firm, SAC Capital, pleaded guilty to criminal insider trading charges in 2013. SAC Capital, which was rolled up into Point72, paid $1.8 billion in penalties.
Despite the government’s years-long investigation, Cohen himself was never charged criminally. But he was dinged by the SEC for failure to supervise and barred from managing outside money until 2018.
Despite the restrictions, Cohen has still remained a force in the financial world.
The venture capital arm of Point72 made sizable investments in many fintech companies over the last year, sparking speculation that Cohen was planning a big return.
Cohen, meanwhile, was seen milling about the Skybridge Alternatives Conference in Las Vegas earlier this month. The annual hedge fund bacchanalia recruits well-heeled financiers and politicos to talk about the state of the financial world. Although Cohen was not there to take the stage, as hedgies Bill Ackman and Dan Loeb did, his presence caused a stir in the crowd.
Last week Cohen hosted a $4,950-a-plate dinner for New York City mayoral candidate Bo Dietl.
To raise the record sum for the fund’s launch, Cohen reportedly is planning to offer a lower fee than the 3 percent of assets under management and 50 percent of profits his previous fund collected. Hedge funds typically charge “2 and 20,” though that fee has also been coming down over the last year amid industry headwinds.
News of Cohen’s return to managing outside money was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Representatives for Point72 declined to comment.
from NY Post