In a year marked by extreme market volatility, it took a former philosophy professor who specialised in metaphysics to steer his hedge fund firmly through the choppy waters.

Don Brownstein's Structured Servicing Holdings fund can boast a total return of 50% in 2010, earning him the title of hedge fund manager of the year for funds managing $1bn or more by Bloomberg Markets magazine. In 2009, his fund surged by 135%.