iConnections New York City Fall Cocktail Reception: “Return to Normalcy”

The hedge fund industry came together last week in the Big Apple for “New York Hedge Fund Week,” which included SALT New York, SuperReturn North America, the HFMWeek Service Provider Awards and numerous other industry events as well as the iConnections NYC Fall Cocktail Reception hosted at EisnerAmper’s outdoor terrace in Midtown Manhattan.

The reception was co-hosted by The Global 51 and sponsored by Agile, Align, and YvesBlue -- and drew approximately 300 industry professionals.

While there was much discussion about the current state of the market, especially surrounding new fund launches, the overarching consensus was people were pleased with a “return to normalcy.”  After two-and-a-half years of the pandemic, the event felt like we were transported back to 2019. 

Many at the events commented on how well-attended both the conferences and the more informal gatherings of the week were.  Some attendees admitted that it was their first time since the start of the pandemic that they have been in such large gatherings. 

On the industry outlook for 2022 and beyond, conversations continue to be around inflation, hiring and retaining of talent, the volatility in the market, the dramatic rise in interest rates and -- as has been the case for many years now -- the difficulty new fund managers have in raising initial launch capital.  This narrative has not changed much in the last few years. 

Despite the challenges of the last few years, it seems like COVID-19 is something we are going to have to learn to live with, possibly for many years to come.  Regardless, the past week felt like it was a “return to normalcy,” which was highly welcomed by all the attendees.