On the eve of the launch of his own energy hedge fund, Chris Jarvis says recent meltdowns such as Amaranth Advisors and MotherRock are going to fuel calls for more disclosure by hedge funds. “Hedge fund shops are going to have to become more transparent to soothe the nerves of their investors,” Jarvis said in a Reuters interview, adding that a lot of them are going to be “a little more proactive in observing what’s going on with the fund.” Jarvis, whose Jarvis Energy Fund is set for takeoff next month, did not indicate how he would exercise greater transparency in his own offering, but did say, “A lot of hedge fund guys don’t really want to show what’s going on under the hood – for obvious reasons. But I think that’s going to change a bit and for the good.” Getting back to his new fund, which enters a sector that’s been battered badly of late, Jarvis says he was “a little nervous at first and concerned that the market might shy away from energy funds after Amaranth.” But, he adds that pension funds seem eager to get into energy and “not...let one rogue trader or one poorly managed risk (position) stop this.” As for his chances for success, Jarvis says he can score, thanks to his risk-management background. “A lot of guys like Amaranth and these other big players will leverage up to the gills and try to do spread trades,” he told Reuters. “I’m going to be (doing a) more directional bias, picking my spots in and out of the market; more of a market timing (position).” One tip: Jarvis predicts that natural gas will rival crude oil eventually. “Going forward, natural gas will have more of an impact than crude oil” as it is “so enmeshed in our economic fabric.”