Trying to get at outsized profits, hedge funds have been getting more aggressive in the commodities markets. Of course, one of the hottest trades has been with agriculture, such as like corn and soybeans. But these markets can move fast and are highly sensitive to planting patterns, weather and changes in global demand.

Well, according to a report on Bloomberg.com, it looks like hedge funds are getting much more cautious on the agriculture sector. For example, there was nearly an 8% drop in wheat prices since February 18.

In earlier days, the commodities markets were dominated by large trading houses and a small percentage of speculators. The trading houses used the markets to buy and sell their products and hedge their risks.

Now the world of commodities is completely different . Hedge funds, pension funds and mutual funds are a growing force in market participation. This year alone, contracts held by investors rose by 12% through October and are 17% higher than June 2008, as reported by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Hedge funds have the money and leverage to place large bets in commodities. This year, in particular, hedge funds have stepped up their exposure to commodities. Gold is a good example. Hedge funds have moved aggressively on the buy side during this past year.

More than ever, the movement of funds by hedge funds is controlling commodity prices. Hedge funds dumped 25% of their positions in natural gas in the week ending Sept. 28, as reported in BusinessWeek.

The commodity exchanges publish a commitment of traders report, which tracks the number of long and short contracts. Net long positions fell by 17,373 to 51,306.

The amount of money sitting in sovereign wealth funds grew in 2009. As financial markets around the world recovered from the severity of the financial crisis that struck in September 2008, the coffers of these unique financial entities swelled to $3.51 trillion, according to the latest research from the alternative investment analysts at Preqin.

Nonetheless, some funds did experience withdrawals by their respective governments. In some cases, governments used sovereign wealth fund assets to close budgetary gaps.

They may say they can't stand the "ugly Americans," but there's only one place where rich Europeans will put their money.

According to alternative investment research firm Preqin, 29% of all European hedge fund investors prefer to invest in funds based in the U.S., where the managers are often able to highlight solid track records and experience, not to mention more innovative funds. The average European hedge fund investor has capital in three U.S. funds.

Investors are getting down with managed accounts this year. This approach is "clearly becoming more mainstream," alternative investment research firm Preqin reports, with 16% of the 50 institutional investors it surveyed using them within their portfolios. Another 23% are considering an allocation to managed accounts in 2010. Several reasons were cited, including greater transparency (41%), better liquidity terms (22%) and increased regulatory oversight (22%), which were the three most common reasons cited.

The catastrophe bond market will be heating up over the next few months, thanks to a combination of favorable market conditions and new investors. Michael Halsband, Vice President at Goldman Sachs (GS), said to Reuters that the cat bond issuance market got off to an early start in January, despite the fact that the first quarter is usually rather quiet. This follows the recent closing of the year's first cat bond, Foundation Re III, by The Hartford (HIG).

According to Halsband, "From January to June this year, $2.7 billion of transactions will mature and most of that is expected to be placed straight back into the ILS [insurance-linked securities] sector," continuing, "In addition, we believe between $1.5 and $2.5 billion of new capital has flowed into dedicated ILS funds and along with the $2.7 billion of maturities. Around $5 billion will be available to be put to work in the cat bond sector."

James Altucher is a financial journalist for The Wall Street Journal and founder of Stockpickr.com. His articles cover every angle of the market; he also stars in feature videos with other financial luminaries. He is the author of Trade Like a Hedge Fund, Trade Like Warren Buffett, SuperCa$h, and The Forever Portfolio.

He has taken a controversial path lately with numerous articles in the New York Post and Huffington Post. Some articles include: "Global Warming Is a Myth," "Should Insider Trading Be Made Legal?" "School of Hard Cash," "The Internet Is Dead (as an Investment)," and "5 Myths the Recession Taught Us."

Rumors of a new addition to the James Altucher library have entered the blogosphere, so I met with James to discuss a possible new book and the response from his recent aggressive views on finance and the stock market.

There's nothing like a quick profit. Hedge fund manager, John Paulson, made $45.3 million in five weeks in a single gold trade. Bloomberg reports he owns 10.3 million shares of Detour Gold (DRGDF). Since purchasing the shares in October, they soared 35% to close at CAD $18 per share in Toronto.

Paulson, who manages $30 billion, has invested heavily in several gold companies. He is the largest shareholder of Anglo Gold Ashanti Ltd. (AU) with 12% of the company's stock. He also has stakes in Kinross Gold Corp (KGC) and Gold Fields Ltd. (GFI).

On Wednesday, Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam told employees via letter that the company is going to wind down all of its hedge funds. In a Wall Street Journal article (subscription required), a person familiar with Galleon said that one of the alternatives the company is exploring is selling out to another firm.

These alternatives were approached by Rajaratnam in his letter, as he told employees that it is "in the best interest of our investors and employees to conduct an orderly wind down of Galleon's funds while we explore various alternatives for our business."

Our continent is home to more family offices and foundations than any other part of the world. These institutions are companies (limited partnerships, usually) that exist primarily to benefit a particular family (as the name implies). So, if you have a boatload of family cash, you set up an LP rather than manage your holdings individually. There are advantages involving taxation and liability, among others.

Family offices are quite active in the hedge fund space, according to Preqin, with the average family office in North America allocating 14% of its assets to this class.

It's not exactly a shock, but tangible confirmation is always nice. Alternative investment research firm Preqin found in a recent survey that institutional investors are happier with their hedge fund returns now than they were a year ago. But, the gaps between happy and sad aren't as wide as you might expect.

A September 2009 survey of institutional investors revealed that 62% say "hedge fund returns have met expectations," compared to 53% in October 2008, when the market was consumed by all kinds of calamity. Only 11% responded this year that "hedge funds have exceeded expectations," which is up slightly from last year's 9%. Remember, though the market hit its worst late last year, the problem was building momentum for a while. Participants who do not feel that hedge funds have hit the mark shrank from 38% last year to 27% this year. And 66% are confident or very confident that their hedge fund investments will reach their objectives.

Out of every five hedge fund managers, one is prone to fibbing, according to research from NYU's Stern School of Business. This is likely to pour salt in the wound of an industry that's been in rough shape for the past year. And, it'll probably add a bit more pressure for transparency.

The NYU report uses data from 444 due diligence reports that investors commissioned from 2003 to 2008. The research team put the information against the test of reality to see where the differences are. The most common stretch of the truth was the amount of their own money the managers put into their hedge funds, fund performance and regulatory and legal histories. One fund inflated its assets under management by $300 million, while another wasn't up front about one of its partner's legal records (he had stolen a Chinese junk).

Every investor knows this bit of math: if you lose 50%, you need a gain of 100% to recover. It sounds odd, but the math is easy. You have a stock worth $100 and take a 50% loss. It's now worth $50. To get back up to $100, you need to double your money -- that's a 100% gain.

This simple rule is painfully apparent to hedge fund managers right now. While we're all celebrating the big gains they've made this year, the funds themselves understand that there's still a long way to go.

In the hedge fund business, there are many who can post a few years of strong gains. But how many can beat the averages for three decades?

Well, it's a rare feat. And, it means you'll be a billionaire.

This has been the case with James Simons, who is the leader of Renaissance Technologies. However, according to a recent letter to investors, he plans to retire by the end of the year. He is 71 years old.

Over the past couple years, Simons has been loosening the reins at the firm, so as to provide for a smooth transition. Actually, in his place will be co-CEOs: Bob Mercer and Peter Brown.