market folly

For the month of July, Dan Loeb's hedge fund firm Third Point offshore fund was up 0.3%. Year to date, they are up 6.9% versus 3.9% for the S&P 500. Seeing 18.4% annualized returns, it's no wonder that Third Point is closed to new investors.

Net Exposures Down Yet Again

Loeb's hedge fund is only 23.3% net long equities (39.7% long and -16.4% short). In June, we detailed how Third Point reduced equity exposure again. July marks the third consecutive month in which Loeb's firm has reduced risk.

In July they ratcheted down exposure from 30.7% net long down to only 23.3% net long. Caution is the name of the game for Loeb's firm and he outlines the rationale in his quarterly letter.

Their largest net long equity exposure comes in the energy sector at 6.1%, as well as consumer and basic materials each at 5.7%. They are net short technology and utilities.

In credit, Third Point is 20.9% net long (32.2% long and -11.3% short). They continue to be net short government issues and their largest net long exposure comes in asset backed securities (ABS).


Third Point's Top Positions

1. Gold
2. Delphi Corp
3. El Paso (EP)
4. CIT Group (CIT ~ multiple securities held)
5. Mosaic (MOS)

Loeb's stake in MOS is brand new and the thesis on Mosaic is detailed in Third Point's Q2 letter. They also continue to hold Delphi, a position numerous hedgies like.

In the past month, Third Point's top winners include gold, Peregrine Metals (PGM), CVR Energy (CVI), Delphi, and an interest rate hedge. Their top losers included NXP Semiconductor (NXPI), CIT Group (CIT), Pall Corp (PLL), Health Net (HNET), and Brenntag AG (BNR).

Shares of NXPI have traded down almost 43% in the past 3 months. Many see this company as a play on the future 'mobile wallet' due to its near field communications (NFC) chip that allows transactions between phones. Third Point has been able to offset the negative performance of this company with gains in other areas.