Hedge fund managers have all sorts of stories for why they got into fund management, and they never cease to interest. Hedge Fund Alpha caught up with Seth Fischer of Oasis Management around the Sohn Hong Kong conference in May.
What drew Seth Fischer to focus on the Asian markets
In an interview he mentioned that all the details involved in hedge-fund management "make it all fun." Fischer also explained why he was drawn specifically to the Asian markets.
"U.S. Navy Admiral Harris, the former commander of the United States Pacific Command and U.S. Ambassador to South Korea, has described the geographic expanse and cultural spread across Asia as being ‘from polar bears to penguins, Hollywood to Bollywood,’" he said. "It’s an apt description for the breadth of capital markets in Asia, which are each differentiated by market dynamics, earnings drivers, investor behavior and government policies. Those details make it all fun — and create the opportunities. There is never a dull day, as we say at Oasis."
Fischer's investing philosophy involves not accepting anything at face value. The Oasis team tries to learn more than anyone else about a company and its related securities. According to Fischer, they aim to do that via "rigorous due diligence, deep-dive research, and close to 30 years of local market experience throughout Asia.