Hedge funds were up 2.04% in October as markets reversed sharply from the downtrend seen in the previous two months. Better than expected economic data from the US, as well as moves by European leaders to recapitalise European banks and address the debt crisis, resulted in a surge of optimism among investors. The MSCI World Index gained 8.65% during the month which witnessed rallying markets across the regions. However, the hangover from August and September led to further outflows from the sector.
Total assets in the industry declined by US$4.5 billion in October, driven primarily by the redemption pipeline built up since August and September. Additionally, newly available data for September shows that the sector declined by over US$60 billion during the month, with net negative asset flows accounting for US$32 billion. Although the industry has posted a significant recovery from the financial crisis over the last two years, these numbers indicate that investors remain edgy and will start to withdraw their capital based on movements in the underlying markets.
Figure 1: Summary monthly asset flow data since December 2008
Key highlights for the month of October:
- The Eurekahedge Hedge Fund Index witnessed its largest gain for the year – up 2.04% in October
- The Mizuho-Eurekahedge Top 100 Index remains in the black during October up 2.61% YTD
The full article is available in The Eurekahedge Report accessible to paying subscribers only.
Subscribers may continue to login as usual to download the full report and non-subscribers may email database@eurekahedge.com to enquire on how to obtain the full research report.
Footnote
1Based on 57.28% of funds which have reported October 2011 returns as at 12 November 2011
2 MSCI AC World Index All Core – Local
