Finding the Needle in the Haystack

Hedge fund managers are a rare breed – they zig when the markets zag; they go long when the rest of the market goes short – they find the diamonds in the rough when others just see dirt. However, what really sets them apart is that sometimes the opportunities are staring investors, regardless of their expertise, right in the face and they see it, while others do not.

Marc Lasry of Avenue Capital has been looking at the Euro Zone and seems to like what he sees. Both, he and Richard Furst, a senior portfolio manager at Avenue, have done the work and believe that the continued uncertainty in Europe provides them with a unique opportunity to make money for their investors. Read the story in Monday’s New York Times here.

Clock in Trafalgar Square in London displaying a countdown to the opening of the 2012 Summer Olympics: from top, days, hours, minutes, seconds. (Photo Wikipedia)

Lasry does not seem to be the only one looking at opportunities in Europe. Firms like Blackstone, Apollo Global Management and Kohlberg, Kravis Roberts are also seeing green in Europe while the rest of the world sees red. It is not a quick hit for these folks – Lasry sees a three to five-year time horizon for his efforts. Patience, he expects will pay off. Perhaps, it is a lesson for all of us?

Our post is short, this week as we remain blanketed in dogs days of August in the middle of July and are preparing to watch the London Olympics. We will be back next week. In the meantime, stay cool and drink lots of fluids.

Posted in: Apollo Management, Avenue Capital, Avenue Capital Group, Business, Eurozone, Investing, Lasry, Marc Lasry