esÂ·trange. tr.v. esÂ·tranged, esÂ·trangÂ·ing, esÂ·trangÂ·es. 1. To make hostile, unsympathetic, or indifferent; alienate: The months of bickering estranged her from her family. 2.
Hedge fund. A hedge fund is an investment fund that pools capital from accredited individuals or institutional investors and invests in a variety of assets, often with complex portfolio-construction and risk-management techniques.
Both mutual funds and hedge funds are managed portfolios. This means that a manager (or a group of managers) picks securities that he or she feels will perform well and groups them into a single portfolio. Portions of the fund are then sold to investors who can participate in the gains/losses of the holdings.