What is a 13f?

A 13f filing is a report that large institutional investors have to file to the SEC every quarter. Sometimes called a form 13f, the report details all the 13f securities that the institution owns, including stocks, options and bonds.

Institutions managing over $100 million are required to file a 13f report, and this includes all hedge funds, mutual funds, etc. As a result, many of those reports are used by investors to track the investments of famous fund managers like Warren Buffett and David Tepper.

However, the institutions are only required to report long positions in 13f securities. Foreign investments are mostly left out of the 13f report.