Experts see a small pay cut coming for executives at traditional asset managers, hedge funds, and private equity shops, particularly at smaller firms, given disruption in the underlying economy because of the coronavirus.
The predicted five-to-10 percent compensation drop would make for two down years in a row, according to Johnson Associates’ third-quarter report on year-end incentives.
But that average belies striking differences between the haves and have-nots in asset management…
Costs have continued to grow as investors want more hand-holding, data, and analytics, while compliance burdens expand, according to Johnson Associates. At the same time, investors continue to pressure managers for fee deals. Some asset managers are still cutting staff given shrinking asset bases or only modest inflows as the industry consolidates. Last month, for example, Morgan Stanley announced plans to buy asset manager Eaton Vance.
Institutional Investor / November 12, 2020