In his recent article, David Isenberg of Ignites discusses one of the most captivating stories of the week: the initial filing of Pershing Square’s first U.S. listed closed-end fund. Pershing Square, founded by Bill Ackman, has garnered considerable attention in recent years from the firm’s reputation as market-beating stock pickers in its hedge fund strategies.
The Pershing Square USA closed-end fund (PSUS) will invest in undervalued large-cap U.S. equities with an activist approach, mirroring the strategy of Pershing Square Holdings, a London-listed closed-end fund.
The fund will trade on the NYSE, and will be underwritten by Citigroup Global Markets, UBS Securities, and Bank of America Securities. Kimberly Flynn, Managing Director, Alternative Investments at XA Investments, noted: “The choice of three underwriters — two with large retail advisory distribution, Bank of America’s Merrill Lynch and UBS, as well as another with a large institutional footprint, Citigroup — suggests the hedge fund manager is seeking both institutional and retail investors in the United States.”
The fund will operate continuously without scheduled liquidity events, waive management fees for the first year, and charge a 2% annual advisory fee thereafter.