SEC announces details of hedge fund forum

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a US financial regulatory authority, plans to hold a hedge fund round table on May 14 and 15 to debate whether such funds negatively affect public investors.

The decision to hold the round table follows a series of comments by SEC chairman William Donaldson, expressing concern that "hedge fund techniques in the market-place may be acting to the detriment of public investors".

The round table will cover a number of topics, including the structure, operation and compliance activities of hedge funds, marketing issues, investor protection issues, the current regulatory scheme and whether additional regulation of hedge funds is warranted.

The SEC's round table forms a part of the regulators ongoing investigation into hedge fund practices, instigated last May by the previous SEC chairman, Harvey Pitt. Hedge funds have been prominent in the headlines in the past year or so following the high-profile blow-ups of funds such as Delaware-based mortgage arbitrager Beacon Hill and the Lipper convertible bond fund.