Had this on the watch list too long and could kick my own ass if it was possible. I think this is just the type of play needed on these markets along with Value shares such as Churchill China that I recommended yesterday.

Heres just a brief background on the company.................

Hedge fund leads rush to float
by Louise Armitstead
RAB Capital is the first to plan a listing in London. Others are bound to follow

IN the spring of 1999 Philip Richards and Michael Alen-Buckley arrived almost empty-handed at their new office — a small room in 1 Adam Street, just off the Strand in central London.
The day — April Fools’ Day — seemed apt at the time. Richards and Alen-Buckley, both highly regarded bankers at Merrill Lynch, were giving up stellar careers to start their own hedge fund, RAB Capital. The only money they had was their own, and their staff consisted of one manager, a compliance officer and a secretary.

Five years on, the little room in 1 Adam Street, still RAB Capital’s main trading floor, albeit straining under a vastly expanded workforce, is again the engine room of an ambitious and pioneering venture.

Last week RAB Capital became the first stand-alone hedge-fund company to announce its intention to float in London.

Richards, 46, and Alen-Buckley, 43, will be at the helm of a company with a market value that could be as high as 100m. Their stakes could be worth 30m each. Advised by KBC Peel Hunt, the firm will release a prospectus tomorrow revealing how much money it intends to raise.

In the past five years, Richards, a former army officer, and Alen-Buckley, who is the son-in-law of the hotelier Lord Forte, have increased their funds under management from 4m to an estimated 1.1 billion. They have 40 staff (16 of them managers), 7 hedge funds and a track record that is the envy of the City.

RAB’s first fund, the European equities fund, which was launched in November 1999, has made returns of 84% despite the tumbling markets.

Floating will for the first time allow small investors to take part in the success of a hedge-fund boutique rather than investing in one fund.

But there is growing concern that they will also be exposed to risks that at the moment are restricted to professional investors.

Watching in the wings are hundreds of other hedge-fund managers, salivating at the thought of following RAB to market and realising the value of their businesses. Investment bankers and advisers are also rubbing their hands at the prospect of a spate of similar deals.

Two funds earmarked for flotation are Thames River Capital and GLG Partners, one of the biggest hedge funds in London, with about $8 billion under management. Experts say plenty of others are looking to float as a way of cashing in.

Richards and Alen-Buckley dismiss the suggestion that this is their motive for floating RAB. “Right from the start we wanted to create a long-term business and we’re here to stay,” said Richards. “Floating is an indication of our permanence. Neither one of us will be taking cash out. We are also doing this for our staff. We have given them options over the years and this will be their chance to realise some cash. Staff loyalty is important to us and to our clients, who like the stability this offers.”

The cash raised from the float will also be used to launch additional hedge funds and bankroll the company’s rapid expansion.

Managers have already been hired for several new funds that will specialise in energy and in Japan. Small investors are likely to be attracted through a joint venture with Saga, which provides services for the over-fifties and has 7m customers.

Richards and Alen-Buckley built impressive reputations in the City working together in the late 1980s at Smith New Court, where they helped to build the stockbroker from a market value of 10m to one of 500m by the time it was sold to Merrill Lynch in 1995.

Both men had been watching the growing hedge-fund industry with interest. Alen-Buckley had numerous contacts, including leading figures such as George Soros. They spent four years at Merrill before quitting to set up RAB.

Alen-Buckley, who is taking the title of executive chairman, is described as the “public face” of the business. Richards, who goes from chief investment officer to chief executive, is more involved in strategy.

Richards runs the Special Situations fund, which is just over a year old but has already generated a return of 1,274%.

Since hedge funds are known for being opaque and secretive, observers are concerned that RAB will struggle to live with the scrutiny that comes with being a public company.

Richards said the company planned to float on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) rather than the main market so that lengthy meetings with institutions could be avoided. “We want to spend our time managing the money, not talking about it,” he said.

“We have a simple philosophy. Our goal is to produce consistent returns in all market conditions. We think that if you work on managing the risks and reducing the downside, the upside tends to look after itself. The float is exciting but it will still be business as usual.”ENDS



Please DYOR, you are responsible for your own buying and selling timing actions.

cheers GF

Thanks Andy very encouraging.

Still in this one and havent sold a pennys worth despite the idiot on advfn who says I have. LOl LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL. Nicely up aswell.

Great to be on a first class bulletin board with first class posters all around, and nice to see no more idiots spoiling the board.

Many thanks to Ian and the big cheese.

cheers GF.

Nice big buy from one of the directors recently--time to top up some more I think.

Hi RAB holders,

Well I assume all of you have sold back in summer, but I hold tight to this little gems, as well as EMG. In both I am making virtual profits but will hold at least RAB for a long time which will defo delivered, contrary to that stupid, rude, third eye, a nasty de-ramper (who probably got it at the mid 20's level. Anyway I am so glad he is gone. Ahh and notice RAB is regulated and authorised by the FSA (see bottom of RSN) Enjoy the ride tomorrow morning.

Company RAB Capital plc
TIDM RAB
Headline Trading Statement
Released 18:33 18-Nov-04
Number 4201F



RNS Number:4201F
RAB Capital plc
18 November 2004


RAB CAPITAL PLC - CONFIDENTIAL UNTIL RELEASED

TRADING UPDATE - 19 NOVEMBER 2004


The Board of RAB Capital plc is pleased to announce that the business has so far
progressed well during the second half of 2004, after the difficult summer
period reported in the interim statement of 28 July. As a consequence, pre-tax
profits for the full year to 31 December 2004 are expected to exceed those of
the last full financial period, which ran for 13 months to 31 December 2003.

The greatest contributions to this performance have come from the Special
Situations, UK, Energy and High Yield Bond strategies, whilst Global Macro has
found trading conditions difficult. The RAB Energy Fund, which was launched in
June this year, has now passed the important milestone of $100 million of assets
under management.

Mark Fawcett (ex-ABN AMRO, American Express Asset Management and Gartmore)
joined the Company in November, to work with Nick Reid as a Senior Fund Manager
on the RAB Japan strategy. We have also developed a new, Emerging Europe
strategy, which will be managed by Leila Kardouche and Pavel Kolouch (both ex-
Schroders), and we plan to launch the RAB Emerging Europe Fund in mid-December.

We continue to work on further development of the business and have reached
agreement to recruit managers for an Energy Commodity Fund, which will invest in
commodity derivatives with a particular focus on Energy-related investments.

Notes for Editors - RAB Capital plc

RAB Capital is a London based investment management company, founded in 1999.
The Company floated on AIM in March 2004.

RAB Capital specialises in absolute return funds and as at 30 June 2004 had
approximately $1.48 billion of assets under management. The Company currently
manages nine hedge fund strategies; Europe, Special Situations, High Yield, UK,
Global Macro, Fund of Funds, North American, Japan and Energy. RAB Capital also
provides advisory and distribution services within the hedge fund industry.

RAB Capital's philosophy is to find highly talented investment managers and
provide them with an environment where they can successfully dedicate themselves
to running focused investment strategies. Core strategies focus on capital
preservation and consistent absolute returns. RAB Capital has 53 employees, 25
of whom are investment professionals.

RAB Capital plc is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

For more information contact:

RAB Capital plc
Michael Alen-Buckley 020 7389 7000
Philip Richards 020 7389 7000

Grandfield
Marc Popiolek 020 7417 4182
Samantha Robbins 020 7417 4181




This information is provided by RNS
The company news service from the London Stock Exchange

END

Good news for all those who kept faith---onwards and upwards!!

a BUY recomendation in todays shares pg33 BROKERS TIPS

RAB CAPITALS POSITIVE ENERGY
the launch of a new energy commodity fund by RAB capital(RAB)is welcomed by KBC peel hunt.'new funds have performed well,particulary the energy fund,and management has done well in recruiting new talented managers'.says analyst andrew shepherd-baron.

Anyone still holding these? The price hasn't exactly rocketed but a nice gentle rise and results due out before end of March. IMHO they are about to take off!!

Everyone lost interest then??

Hi Moneyplus.

No we are still in. First got in at 48.20, followed by 49, 52, and then finally 58p. Happy to stay in, look on this share as a good long hold. Looking for the results to be good March time? Regards, Paul and Di.

theve just bought 3% in NMS and the volume has just gone thru the roof
best strategy is to follow them ive just bought more nms and going to get back into tertiary suggest you all do ..........

does anyone out there have a list of rab's holdings as it appears you can't go far wrong by following their lead.. or am i a lemming

jedtom,

Not sure here is a comprehansive list, and following RAB would be a good idea, but only IF you could afford to invest in each of ther holdings, and at the SAME price as RAB buy in at!

RAB normally get in at a decent discount.

Im still in and I look upon this one as a long term gem. Its taken some stick over the last year as I have, but I know this, the dosh is coming my way over the next few years.

cheers GF.

GF,

Agree, this looks like a decent long term hold, the FUM are growing rapidly, the Energy Fund is closed to new money, and the SF is growing massively.

RAB results are due next Friday I believe, and I expect RAB to move higher this week in anticipation of some superb results.

70p by friday? I wouldn't bet against it!

Neither would I Andy.

cheers GF.

Here we go again! More sellers on board. There appears to be no anchor preventing RAB from falling further in this jittery market. I woldnt be surprised if we go below 60p unless the PR team come out with a statement to instill confidence in the short term to medium term. So far this week there are certainly no buyers prepaired to support current levels.

wxpert,

Peeps selling pre end of tax year maybe?

Most resource stocks have been hit the last couple of days, and RAB has stakes in many of them, so given a post results drop was always on the crds, I'm not too surprised at this fall.

I remain a holder for the longer term.

Just found this article on RAB.The sit is free to read and registration is free.

http://www.proactiveinvestors.co.uk

RAB CAPITAL: A resource play on steroids.
By William Foss.

In the grand scheme of things RAB Capital is a small hedge fund - small compared to the colossal U.S. hedge funds. But in the world of resource companies RAB is a force that is admired and feared at the same time. RAB's focus on mining companies has meant that it has produced incredible returns for its investors over the last few years. The recent hiccup in the stock market and commodity sector will no doubt put a dent in RAB's performance, but considering the bull run in mining companies over the last few years, any dip in performance will be minor compared to the long term upward trend.

Today RAB updated the market on progress for the 6 month period ending 30th June 2006 and the numbers are noteworthy.

RAB has some 15% interest in Asia Energy! Which is bad news as after a sharp drop in AEN's SP in last few days, it has been suspended today! This will have an impact on RAB.