Insights

On December 6, 2016, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in the long-awaited case of Salman v. United States, the first substantive insider trading case to be taken up by the high court in nearly two decades. Although the Supreme Court has spoken, the uncertainty resulting from the 2014 decision of the U.S. Court…

Client Alerts | December 8, 2016 | Hedge Funds

This newsletter briefly highlights certain tax issues and planning that hedge fund managers should consider (or reconsider) before year-end. 1. Trump Presidency. With the election of Donald Trump as President, year-end tax planning is “business as usual” – that is, generally accelerating deductions and deferring income since rates are not expected to increase in 2017.…

Client Alerts | November 21, 2016 | Hedge Funds

In General Section 871(m) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended, was enacted in 2010 and imposes a 30% U.S. withholding tax (subject to reduction by an applicable tax treaty) on dividend equivalent amounts paid (or deemed paid) on certain swaps and equity linked instruments referencing U.S. equities if the long party…

Client Alerts | November 18, 2016 | Derivatives | Hedge Funds

On October 24, 2016, the staff in the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (the “Staff“) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC“) issued a risk alert announcing that it is examining registered investment advisers (“RIAs“) and registered broker-dealers for compliance with Rule 21F-17 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended…

Client Alerts | November 9, 2016 | Hedge Funds

Amendments Would Provide Investors the Ability to Choose More Easily Between Candidates Offered by Activists and Candidates Offered by a Company On October 26, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) proposed amendments to the proxy rules to facilitate voting in director elections by, among other things, requiring parties in a contested election to use…

Client Alerts | October 28, 2016 | Investor Activism | Hedge Funds

On August 25, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC“) adopted amendments to Form ADV and to certain rules promulgated under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended (the “Advisers Act“).[1] The effective date of these amendments is October 31, 2016, but the compliance date is not until October 1, 2017, and many…

Client Alerts | September 29, 2016 | Hedge Funds

On September 1, 2016, the Loan Syndication and Trading Association (the “LSTA“) implemented significant changes to the provisions in the trading documentation governing whether a buyer is entitled to receive delayed compensation for a par/near par trade (hereinafter, a “Par Trade“). Delayed compensation is a payment by seller to compensate buyer when a Par Trade…

Client Alerts | September 8, 2016 | Hedge Funds

On August 2, 2016, the IRS issued proposed regulations for Section 2704 of the Internal Revenue Code, which would substantially impact the ability of taxpayers to discount the value of certain assets in order to reduce gift and estate taxes. The regulations specifically target the use of Family Limited Partnerships (FLPs) and Family Limited Liability…

Client Alerts | August 31, 2016 | Estate Planning and Administration

On June 28, 2016, the Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC“) proposed a new rule (the “Proposed Rule“) that would require SEC-registered investment advisers (“RIAs”) to adopt and implement written business continuity and transition plans (“Continuity Plans“) reasonably designed to address operational and other risks related to a significant disruption in the RIA’s operations.[1] Additionally,…

Client Alerts | August 22, 2016 | Hedge Funds

In light of recent volatility in the markets and generally lackluster performance in the hedge fund industry, many investors have seen their hedge fund investments lose value. Consequently, raising new capital and retaining existing capital has become increasingly difficult for hedge fund sponsors. Not surprisingly, one of the most commonly asked questions of late by…

Client Alerts | August 2, 2016 | Hedge Funds