Fri, Oct 10, 2025
A A A
Welcome Guest
Free Trial RSS pod
Get FREE trial access to our award winning publications
Industry Updates

Hedge funds return to net redemptions in November with $4.7bn in industry outflows

Friday, January 17, 2020
Opalesque Industry Update - After a one-month reprieve, the hedge fund industry returned to net outflows in November with $4.7 billion in redemptions, a reversal from October's $1.9 billion in industry inflows.

November's redemptions represented 0.2% of industry assets, according to the Barclay Fund Flow Indicator published by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions.

A $19.1 billion November trading profit brought total hedge fund industry assets to more than $3.16 trillion as the month ended, up from $3.13 trillion at the end of October.

November's redemptions were driven by numerous economic events and indicators that worried investors as summer came to a close, prompting sizable redemption volumes from funds in the U.K., the U.S. and China.

November data from the nearly 7,100 funds (excluding CTAs) in the BarclayHedge database showed investors pulling $6.2 billion from funds in the U.K. and its offshore islands, $4.4 billion from funds in the U.S. and its offshore islands and $1.0 billion from funds in China.

"The last weeks of summer posed a number of challenges for investors including the impact of heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and China on equity markets, reports of shrinking economies in the U.K. and Germany, ongoing Brexit uncertainty and recession fears prompted by an inverted yield curve," said Sol Waksman, president of BarclayHedge.

For the 12 months ending Nov. 30, the hedge fund industry experienced $122.9 billion in redemptions, 4.0% of assets. A $182.6 billion trading profit over the 12-month period contributed to the industry's $3.16 trillion in total assets as November ended, up from nearly $3.09 trillion a year earlier.

Most hedge funds sectors experienced redemptions for the 12-month period, though a few bucked the trend. Sectors posting 12-month inflows included Macro funds which added $22.4 billion, 6.9% of assets, Event Driven funds with $22.2 billion in inflows, 15.7% of assets, and Emerging Markets - Latin America funds which took in $1.6 billion, 14.9% of assets.

Relative underperformance against their benchmarks by hedge funds in equity and fixed income sectors continued to be reflected in the funds posting the largest 12-month redemptions. Equity Long/Short funds led the way with $40.7 billion in redemptions, 18.5% of assets, followed by Equity Long Bias funds which shed $37.5 billion over the period, 11.4% of assets, and Fixed Income funds which experienced $19.5 billion in 12-month redemptions, 3.5% of assets.

The managed futures industry also experienced net outflows in November with $905.8 million in redemptions. A $3.0 billion trading profit for the month brought total industry assets to $310.2 billion as November ended, up from $305.4 billion at the end of October.

"Back-to-back losses in September and October on the back of uninspiring year-to-date returns pushed some investors to redeem in November," said Waksman.

CTA redemptions were the norm in most regions in November, led by the U.K. and its offshore islands which saw $1.4 billion in redemptions, 2.4% of assets. CTAs in Asia excluding China and Japan shed $264.4 million during the month, 3.4% of assets, while funds in Continental Europe experienced $125.0 million in redemptions, 0.4% of assets.

Among the regions running counter to the redemption trend, CTAs in the U.S. and its offshore islands took in $399.9 million, 0.2% of assets, in November.

For the 12 months ending Nov. 30, CTA funds experienced $17.3 billion in outflows, 4.9% of industry assets. A $16.7 billion trading profit over the period contributed to the industry's $310.2 billion in total assets at the end of November, which was down from nearly $350.7 billion a year earlier.

What do you think?

   Use "anonymous" as my name    |   Alert me via email on new comments   |   
Previous Opalesque Exclusives                                  
Previous Other Voices                                               
Access Alternative Market Briefing

 



  • Top Forwarded
  • Top Tracked
  • Top Searched
  1. Global fintech investment slumps to seven-year low of $95.6bn[more]

    Laxman Pai, Opalesque Asia: Global fintech investment plummeted to $95.6 billion across 4,639 deals in 2024, marking its lowest level since 2017, as investors grappled with persistent macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical tensions, revealed a study. According to the Pulse of Fintech H2'

  2. Opalesque Exclusive: Private capital deal value climbed 19% in 2024[more]

    Bailey McCann, Opalesque New York: Private capital deal value climbed 19% in 2024, according to the latest data from the Global Private Capital Association. Growth was driven by big-ticket investments across Southeast Asia, Latin America and Central & Eastern Europe (CEE). Investor confidence

  3. Opalesque Roundup: Citco: 77% of hedge funds achieved positive returns in January 2025: hedge fund news[more]

    In the week ending February 21st, 2025, a report revealed that hedge funds enjoyed one of their best opening months this decade in January, as Equity and Multi-Strategy funds posted strong returns. Funds administered by the Citco group of companies (Citco) delivered a weighted average return of 4%,

  4. Opalesque exclusive: Permuto's new equity unbundling product to change investment model[more]

    Opalesque Geneva for New Managers: Here is a different way of owning stocks coming to you soon: the option of holding just the dividend portion of a stock, independent of its price movements. Or capturing the stock&

  5. Opalesque Exclusive: Hedge funds outperform mutual funds in managing extreme risk contagion - key insights for investors[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: Hedge funds and mutual funds are among the most prominent vehicles for investors seeking growth and diversification. However, a critical question persists: which fund ty