The number of investment advisers registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission jumped nearly 20% this year, largely because of the influx of new hedge fund adviser registrants, according to a survey by the Investment Adviser Association and National Regulatory Services. Before the now-suspended hedge fund registration requirement, annual registration growth was about 7%, while in the past year that percentage rose to 19.5%. In other alternative-investment related findings, the survey stated that 33% of registrant advised pooled investments, which include hedge funds, private equity funds and venture capital funds, and the number of hedge fund registrants pumped up the percentage of registrants charging performance fees from 26% to more than 33%. According to the survey, of the more than 2,400 registered advisers, around 50% of new registrants advise at least one hedge fund, and hedge fund advisers account for 24% of the total number of registrants.
