Despite the large amounts of data generated, gaining mechanistic insights and using the data for predictive and practical purposes is still a huge challenge.
"Some managers don't think they can generate gains to offset these losses," Mr. Phillips said.
Successful buyers generate gains in both revenue growth and profit margins, and — most important — better returns.
According to Meredith Jones of Van Hedge Funds, a research group, these funds shone last year, generating gains of as much as 17.1%.
Vaughn, they say, is being lined up for a villainous-sounding businessman who is trying to generate gains from the railway deals, while Farrell, Moss and Kitsch would play the detectives.
Other big leveraged buyouts, such as Toys RR" Us and HCA, appear to be on track to generate gains, if largely on paper, for their owners.
"They may sell some securities to generate gains at the same time they're taking impairment charges," noted Dwayne D. Hallman, senior vice president for finance at Horace Mann Educators, an insurer in Springfield, Ill.
Combining fronts may generate gains from "package deals," in which success on a single front yields a resource (such as capital, intellectual property, a valuable customer, a powerful ally) that is worth most when combined with other, similar resources.
Aside from the actual dividends from the individual stocks, ECV also writes call options on equity indexes to generate gains from option premiums.
According to the IRS, those tax benefits were shared with BNY, generating gains for both banks.
