Long Short Funds
Bidirectional equity exposure harnessing both rising quality and deteriorating fundamentals—profiting from market direction while managing net market exposure dynamically.
Definition & Purpose
Long Short Funds under Category III AIF simultaneously hold long positions in companies expected to appreciate and short positions in companies expected to decline. Unlike market-neutral strategies, these funds maintain a net long or net short bias, expressing a directional view on market conditions while using the short book to fund additional long exposure and reduce overall portfolio volatility. The dual-sided portfolio generates return from both legs of the book, enabling skilled managers to compound capital in diverse market environments unavailable to long-only mandates.
Focus
Market Direction + Hedge
Risk Profile
High
Min. Investment
₹1 Crore
Tenure
Open-Ended
Key Characteristics
Directional Bets with Managed Net Exposure
The fund maintains a deliberate net long or net short bias (typically 40–80% net long) that reflects the portfolio manager's macro view and stock-level conviction. Net exposure is dynamically adjusted in response to valuation dispersion across the market, earnings cycle positioning, and macroeconomic regime shifts—giving the manager more tools than a long-only mandate permits.
Short Position Discipline
The short book targets companies with deteriorating fundamentals, governance concerns, structural disruption threats, or unsustainable accounting practices. Short positions in Indian markets are executed through F&O derivatives given regulatory constraints on stock borrowing. Effective short management requires strict stop-loss protocols as losses on short positions are theoretically unlimited.
Market Timing as Active Tool
Long Short managers employ macro overlays—interest rate cycle analysis, foreign institutional flow monitoring, and earnings revision breadth tracking—to adjust gross and net exposure at the portfolio level. This tactical flexibility allows the fund to reduce market exposure during periods of elevated systemic risk, protecting investor capital in ways unavailable to benchmark-constrained mandates.
The Long Short Fund Lifecycle
Book Construction
The long and short books are constructed simultaneously, with position sizing in each leg calibrated to the manager's conviction level and risk budget. Sector exposures are balanced across the gross book to prevent unintended factor tilts. Leverage levels are set in accordance with SEBI's AIF leverage guidelines and the fund's stated risk parameters.
Active Management
Daily P&L attribution separates alpha generated by the long book, the short book, and the net exposure positioning decision. Risk management systems monitor position-level VaR, sector concentration, and beta to ensure the portfolio behaves within defined parameters. Quarterly LP reports disclose net exposure ranges and attribution by strategy bucket.
Redemption & Capital Return
Open-ended Long Short funds accommodate redemptions through defined notice periods and redemption gates that protect continuing investors from forced liquidation of illiquid or advantageous positions. The fund manager balances redemption liquidity against portfolio integrity, maintaining a cash buffer and liquid position sleeve to service expected outflows without compromising the core investment book.
Institutional Benchmarks
White Oak Capital Management
Multi-Cap Long Short Platform
White Oak Capital manages long short strategies that combine deep fundamental research on India's listed equity universe with tactical derivative overlays. Their investment philosophy emphasizes earnings quality and capital allocation discipline, with the short book identifying companies exhibiting earnings manipulation risk, unsustainable leverage, or competitive displacement from structural technology shifts.
Helios Capital Management
Asia-Focused Long Short Vehicle
Helios Capital is one of India's pioneering hedge fund managers, operating long short strategies across Indian and broader emerging market equities. Founded by industry veterans, Helios combines macro-driven net exposure management with bottom-up fundamental stock selection, deploying the short book opportunistically during periods of earnings cycle deterioration and market valuation excess.
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