Billionaire investor Michael Hintze's hedge fund still down 43% this year after mild August gain, report says

• Billionaire investor Michael Hintze's hedge fund posted a 1.3% return in August but remains down 42.5% this year, Bloomberg reported Friday.
• Hintze's CQS Directional Opportunities Fund tanked 48% from February through May as the coronavirus tore into risk assets.
• Though the fund has gained in the past three months, the profits have done little to retrace its virus-induced losses.
• "We are working hard to capture the opportunities, protect the portfolio, and rebuild returns for our investors," Hintze said in a letter to investors seen by Bloomberg.
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Michael Hintze's hedge fund eked out a 1.3% gain in August but remains far from erasing losses made through the first months of the coronavirus pandemic, Bloomberg reported Friday.

The billionaire investor's CQS Directional Opportunities Fund is down 42.5% for the year after its August climb, according to letters to investors seen by Bloomberg. Last month marked the fund's third-straight month of positive returns.

Still, Hintze's firm has plenty of work to do to retrace its virus-induced slump. CQS sank 48% from February through May, according to Bloomberg, following the broader market's tumble as the coronavirus drove the fastest bearish dive in history.

Read more: A $1.3 billion fund manager explains how investors can limit their losses during the stock market sell-off with bonds — and shares 6 sectors where he sees the best opportunities now

"We are working hard to capture the opportunities, protect the portfolio, and rebuild returns for our investors," Hintze said in his letter to investors.

The first-half losses led Hintze to cut costs throughout his firm. CQS slashed jobs and spun off a developing stock-focused fund in May following the poor performance.

The CQS Directional Opportunities Fund handles roughly $1.8 billion in investor capital. The London-based firm managed $18.5 billion in total at the end of July and focuses on credit market positions.

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