Newly-formed hedge fund shop Insparo Asset Management this week raised a $125 million fund to invest in Africa, which has become the favored new frontier for hedge fund and private equity managers alike.

Blank check companies, also known as Special Purpose Acquisition Companies, are making noise in the hedge fund community.

Last summer’s meltdown of cash manager Sentinel Management Group and the recent blowup of Bear Stearns have once again brought the issue of cash management to the forefront for hedge funds and their investors.

Agency brokerage JonesTrading Institutional Services has recently ramped up its offerings to include distressed debt trading in an effort to offer clients an alternative to traditional capital intensive or electronic trading mechanisms.

Public investing on Wall Street is a funny thing, and knowing or understanding reality has very little to do with making money, according to one former Wall Street analyst and clean technology expert.

While hedge fund managers are keeping the spotlight on the credit markets with a flurry of new launches, one alternative asset shop is sticking to its knitting in the emerging markets space.

As the number of ultra-high-net-worth families grows globally by at least 10% each year, so too does the business of managing their money.

Times are tough for the hedge fund industry, which is coping with the collapse of Bear Stearns, the ongoing credit crisis and the recent slide of the commodities market after a strong two-month rally.

Since 2005, New York-based Paragon Capital has been generating annual returns in excess of 70% by focusing on private investments in public entities.

The last few months have not been kind to hedge funds.