Opalesque Industry Update - Hedge funds were up 1.25% in April, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index has gained 3.82% year to date. “Rising stock prices provided the tailwind for equity hedge funds in April,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. “Additionally, a rally in US high yield bonds coupled with a sell-off in high grade bonds caused credit spreads to tighten, which helped boost returns for fixed income funds.” Overall, 14 of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had gains in April. The Emerging Markets Index jumped 5.13%, Pacific Rim Equities gained 2.59%, Convertible Arbitrage was up 1.41%, the Event Driven Index gained 1.09%, and Distressed Securities rose 0.98%. The Healthcare & Biotechnology Index was down 1.71% in April, Global Macro lost 1.29%, Equity Market Neutral was down 0.71%, and the Multi Strategy Index slipped 0.46%. “In a sharp selloff, the US Dollar gave back almost one-fourth of its gains of the past year. This combined with an unexpected increase in global interest rates hit macro funds hard, and gave the index its worst loss since August 2013 when it dropped 1.71%,” says Waksman. After four months, the Emerging Markets Index leads all hedge fund strategies with a 7.53% gain, Healthcare & Biotechnology is up 6.79%, Pacific Rim Equities have gained 5.41%, European Equites are up 4.96%, and the Merger Arbitrage Index has added 3.66%. The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 0.51% in April, and is up 3.28% for the year. |
Industry Updates
Barclay Hedge Fund Index Up 1.25% in April (+3.82% YTD)
Monday, May 18, 2015
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