Hedge Fund Assets Near $2.6T

Date: Thursday, August 9, 2007
Author: Hedge Fund Daily

Hedge fund assets in the second quarter rose 8% to $2.593 trillion, according to HedgeFund.net. The Q2 2007 HFN Hedge Fund Industry Asset Flow Report states that 53% of the $196.9 billion flow is credited to new money, with the remaining $89.6 from performance--the second-largest gain on record. With the second-quarter tally, says HFN, hedge fund assets in the first half of the year climbed 20.4%, including $268 billion in new money. HFN says emerging markets was the fastest-growing strategy in 2Q, with total assets up 14.2%, its fourth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The $20.9 billion that flowed in to that strategy is the second-highest on record. Emerging market equities saw similar growth, up 13.7%. Other big gainers in the second quarter include distressed funds (+10.8%), multistrategy (+10.5%) and long/short equity, which accounts for more than one-third of total assets (+7.7%). In other findings:

--Regionally, assets in hedge funds focusing on Latin America has skyrocketed 73.2% in the first half of the year, with a 17.4% increase in the second quarter.

--Generally, assets in global-focused hedge funds rose 8.92% to $1.276 trillion, with assets in funds invested in the European markets and U.S. markets, each enjoying a rise of 7.6%.

--Assets in Japan-focused hedge funds continued their outflowing ways from the first quarter, as they experienced a 20.5% decline, a loss of $9.8 billion in 2Q.

--Assets in funds of hedge funds moved up 9.4% to an estimated $1.25 trillion, with a record $74.5 billion in new assets