Dmitry Balyasny’s hedge fund, Balyasny Asset Management, has reduced its headcount by nearly 18% to 219 employees by the end of 2023, down from 266 in the previous year, according to a report by Financial News citing the firm’s latest financial reports.  The hedge fund, which oversees more than $20bn in assets, also cut its staff expenses by 27% last year, with total staff costs, including directors’ remuneration, falling to £226m from £310m in 2022. The highest-paid director at Balyasny received £150,651, a sharp decrease from £7.1m the prior year.   Revenue for Balyasny in 2023 was £351m, a decline from £378m in 2022. The firm's profit plummeted from £21m to £3.6m during the same period.  This downturn follows a period of significant growth in 2022, when Balyasny expanded its team from 158 to 266 employees, a nearly 70% increase, and saw profit soar by over 400%.   In 2023, Balyasny faced challenging returns, achieving a modest gain of 2.4% as losses from equity bets overshadowed gains in commodities, Bloomberg reported. On average, hedge funds gained over 8% in 2023, based on data from research firm HFR.  Brevan Howard is also planning to reduce its number of traders by roughly 10% following a year of underperformance. Bloomberg reported that the hedge fund's $12bn flagship Master fund lost 2.1% last year and is down approximately 2.4% so far in 2024.