These are the 20 biggest hedge funds in the world

REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Hedge funds are a huge force in the financial world but they're not always the most transparent.

Below is a list of the 20 largest hedge funds by gross assets covered by data compiler Graypools.

The figures were drawn from regulatory filings prepared by the firms themselves for the end of the second quarter this year.

Hedge funds don't lend themselves to pictures so, to stop this slideshow becoming a series of unmarked doorways and office buildings, we've gone with hedges.