Welcome to Walkers' 2020 Fundamentals White Paper Series, in
which we discuss certain trends identifiable among the hedge funds
and private equity funds that we helped our clients launch over the
last twelve months.
In last year's White Paper, published in November 2019,
managers and their funds appeared to be positioning themselves for
market turbulence in the face of global uncertainties and a
volatile economic and financial environment. One year on, with the
benefit of hindsight, this was something of an understatement. 2020
has tested all aspects of managers' businesses, from the
boardroom to the back office, and in many parts of the world out of
the office altogether. All of this, of course, is not to overlook
the broader global context of the pandemic and the significant
health, economic and political challenges that 2020 has brought and
continues to present.