Goldman is said to be shutting two hedge funds run out of Asia

[NEW YORK] Goldman Sachs Group Inc is shutting two hedge funds run by people based in Asia, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The funds, which together manage about US$1.4 billion in assets, were run by Goldman Sachs partners Ryan Thall and Hideki Kinuhata, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information isn't public. Mr Kinuhata is retiring while Mr Thall is expected to start his own fund, the people said.

A spokesman for Goldman Sachs declined to comment. Mr Thall and Mr Kinuhata didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The two hedge funds operated under the Goldman Sachs Investment Partners division, which has about US$4 billion in assets, the bulk of which are private equity or venture capital types of investments. Hong Kong-based Thall and Tokyo-based Kinuhata made long-short equity bets in Asia and globally, the people said.

Part of the reason for the closures is fickle demand for such hedge fund-like products at a time when the industry has struggled to outperform benchmarks and investors are crowding alternative options to generate outsized returns.

Oryza Capital, the Asia-focused fund, managed about US$478 million and returned 0.6 per cent this year through July after gaining 19 per cent in 2017, according to a newsletter seen by Bloomberg News.

Goldman Sachs had about US$150 billion globally in alternative investments spread across public and private markets as of the end of June.

BLOOMBERG