Valuation and Exit
Valuation: The Net Asset Value is used as a base for ascertaining the prices applicable to investor subscriptions and redemptions. Fund administrator performs the NAV valuation. NAV calculations should include accrued interest, dividends, and other receivables of the Hedge Fund, as well as accrued expenses (including fees) and other payables. Most of the Hedge Funds are issued with close-ended features (vice-versa in case of FoFs and offshore funds) and valuation of NAV is the major concern voiced by the industry analysts and fund managers about their portfolio of holdings. The NAV valuations are prone to manipulation (due to lack of transparency) and underestimation due to improper selection of benchmarks.
Generally, investment strategy for valuation is divided into two categories (see Table 5): ‘Easy-to-value' and ‘"Hard-to-value' strategy. Easy-to-value strategies constitute 80 percent of overall total asset management and rest 20 percent accompanied with Hard-to-value strategies. The differentiation arises, as it is difficult to estimate the value of investments that are based on various factors and long-term nature of investment.
Exit: Hedge Funds are issued with a lock-up period usually of three years to arrest outflow of funds. As soon as the funds lock-up period comes to an end, investors have the option to exit from the funds by selling either to fund houses (in case of open-ended schemes) and to other eligible investors (in case of close-ended schemes). The redemption or exit price is determined on the basis of the NAV valuation, which the Hedge Fund issues in its monthly, quarterly, or annual reports. Exiting from the fund by offering to the third party might involve the fund manager's intervention on when he feels the transfer of shares can have negative impact on future Fund operations.