BlackRock’s call for investors to boost their hedge fund allocations may look like a gift, but it comes with strings attached. More money flowing into funds means bigger positions, higher leverage, and far greater margin demands. Unless hedge funds rethink how they manage collateral, this revival risks becoming less of a windfall and more of a liquidity trap.
Margin requirements, the cash or collateral traders must post to cover potential losses, are a critical risk factor that hedge funds must consider when aiming to maximise profits. Larger positions inevitably demand more margin, while increasing the collateral firms need to manage across multiple exchanges and central counterparties (CCPs), each with its own rules, timelines, and demands. With such a wide range of trading options, hedge funds are already constrained in how efficiently they can offset risks – a challenge that will only intensify as more capital comes into play.
This market fragmentation is a double-edged sword. With the same products being traded across multiple exchanges and brokers, firms can lose opportunities to reduce their margin requirements. However, the very thing that causes high margin costs, multiple trading options, also creates an opportunity for savings. With the right optimisation tools, firms can identify the most efficient venues, reduce collateral demands, and turn fragmentation into an advantage.
By carefully choosing where to trade, firms can capitalise on lower margin requirements at specific exchanges, brokers, or clearinghouses. They can also strategically decide when to trade on an exchange versus making a private (bilateral) deal. For example, bilateral trades may require no upfront margin but come with higher counterparty risk, whereas cleared trades offer stability but require more cash up front. The key is finding the right balance.
With geopolitical uncertainties looming larger than ever, using advanced technologies to achieve cash-efficient trading is becoming imperative for survival. Market volatility can prompt simultaneous margin calls across multiple venues, as hedge funds experienced in the wake of Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ tariffs in April. This makes stress-testing portfolios against adverse scenarios crucial, helping firms anticipate liquidity needs and prepare for sudden spikes in margin requirements.
The solution for hedge funds is not to shy away from growth but to modernise risk management. By deploying collateral more efficiently and monitoring exposures across CCPs, firms can put new inflows to work without compromising liquidity.
While attention for now is focused on reinvigorating the hedge fund sector, the winners from BlackRock’s backing will not be those who simply attract the most capital, but those who manage it most effectively.
Article by Jo Burnham, margin expert at OpenGamma
