HedgeWorld Through the Ages
Aug 17th, 2008 | Filed under: Media Coverage of Hedge FundsNearly 10 years ago, two Tremont executives and a new media manager for a Thomson Financial publication had an idea - a website that would “be the first independent Internet community and e-commerce platform which will be the catalyst for reinventing the way the industry communicates and transacts its business“. They called it “HedgeWorld” and it quickly became a leading Internet brand in the burgeoning hedge fund industry.
Said the firm’s December 8, 1998 press release:
“Hedgeworld.com features a wealth of tools and information products and services that benefit investors, managers and service providers. For example, an individual investor in Switzerland can receive customized news from major online sources for all the hedge funds included in their actual or model portfolios in HedgeWorld. Or, an investment manager based in London can broadcast an alert to a pre-qualified audience of financial institutions in Asia. In addition, a prime broker in New York, at the direction of its hedge fund manager, can send specific portfolio information to selected investors in a secure environment. Members of the media can use HedgeWorld to distribute or research stories. For regulators, HedgeWorld can enable greater transparency and disclosure among community members. Timely and accurate online information is enhanced by easy-to-use site design, objective and in-depth hedge fund industry research, accurate performance data and secure e-commerce capabilities.”
It was an audacious goal, but one that attracted a lot of users, sponsors and eventually acquirers.
However, after changing hands a number of times, HedgeWorld’s new owners (somewhat ironically, Thomson Reuters) laid off the majority of staff this weekend, ending a storied history and releasing a team of excellent financial journalists into the waiting arms of the hedge fund community (see Friday’s posting). Reports suggest the brand may live on (as MAR Hedge did after it met its maker in 2006), but there seems to be little question that this marks an end to the franchise as an independent entity.
In deference to the grande dame of hedge fund websites, we have assembled a gallery of HedgeWorld screen shots from throughout the firm’s history (thanks to archive.org). For online publishers like us, it’s interesting to see how each site reflects the prevailing web design conventions of the day. But even if you don’t care about these kinds of things, you will find this walk down memory lane may at least remind you of better days for the industry… (late breaking addendum: for a little extra walking down memory lane, check out HedgeWorld’s own tribute to its departing crew here)
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