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April performance was led by the HFRI Emerging Markets Index, which advanced +7.0 percent, the best monthly return since May 2009. All EM regions posted gains, led by Russia and Emerging Asia, with the HFRI EM: Russia/Eastern Europe Index advancing +10.8 percent for the month, benefitting from the strong recovery in the Russian Rouble, as well as regional Russian equity markets. The HFRI EM: Asia ex-Japan Index climbed +10.5 percent, also the best performance since May 2009, while the HFRI China Index posted a gain of +13.0 percent, the highest return since Index inception in 2008. Hedge funds investing in other Emerging Markets also posted strong gains, as the HFRI EM: Latin America Index gained +5.9 percent, while the HFRI MENA Index advanced +3.6 percent.

Hedge fund strategy performance was led by the HFRI Equity Hedge Index, which gained +2.0 percent for the month. Equity Hedge gains were led by exposure to recovering growth equities, with the HFRI Fundamental Growth Index up +4.0 percent for the month, the best monthly performance since October 2011. Energy and Fundamental Value strategies also posted gains, with these HFRI Indices advancing +3.9 and +2.0 percent, respectively.

Fixed income-based Relative Value Arbitrage strategies also posted gains, as US & European yields rose and high yield credit tightened, with the HFRI Relative Value Arbitrage Index advancing +1.4 percent. RV gains were led by Credit Multi-Strategy, Convertible Arbitrage and Yield Alternative sub-strategies, with these gaining +2.4, +2.1 and +1.9 percent, respectively, in April.

Event Driven hedge funds also advanced for the month as deal volume accelerated with transaction announcements in Kraft/Heinz and Teva/Mylan, as well as the announcement of a transaction involving GE, Blackstone & Wells Fargo. The HFRI Event Driven Index gained +1.2 percent, with ED sub-strategy performance led by the HFRI ED: Activist Index gain of +1.9 percent and the HFRI ED: Special Situations Index gain of +1.4 percent.

Partially offsetting these, Macro hedge funds posted declines in April, paring strong 1Q15 gains, as models re-calibrated portfolio exposures as a result of Oil and Currency reversals. The HFRI Macro Index declined -1.2 percent, reducing the YTD gain to +1.9 percent. Macro sub-strategy declines were led by quantitative, trend-following CTA exposures, with the HFRI Macro: Systematic Diversified/CTA Index declining -2.2 percent for the month, paring the YTD gain for the Index to +2.4 percent.

"The drivers of April HFRI performance shifted significantly from the exposure factors which drove gains in recent months, as strategies which had been lagging, including Emerging Markets and Energy, reversed to lead performance, while trend-following CTA and Macro multi-strategy exposures declined, paring recent gains," stated Kenneth J. Heinz, President of HFR. "The surge in Chinese equities provided a tailwind to hedge fund performance in April, underscoring not only the growth in significance and sophistication of the Asian hedge fund industry, but also the speed and fluidity at which the drivers of global performance can evolve. Opportunistic hedge funds which are tactically positioned across a broad spectrum of exposures, including Emerging Markets, Energy, Oil, Currency, Shareholder Activist and interest rate sensitive strategies, are likely to drive industry performance gains and asset growth through mid-year 2015."
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