Global hedge fund assets top USD2.2trn, says HFI

In the newly-published Spring 2013 issue of its bi-annual Global Review, HedgeFund Intelligence reports that assets in hedge funds of traditional types – which are mostly domiciled offshore or structured as limited partnerships in the US – reached USD2.208trn (including parallel onshore versions) at the end of 2012.
 
That represents a rise of just over seven per cent compared with the corresponding figure of USD2.059trn as at the end of 2011 – and an increase of over 20 per cent from the hedge fund industry’s low point of USD1.83trn at the end of 2008, in the wake of the global financial crash.
 
The US market remains firmly the top location for the world’s biggest hedge fund firms. There are currently 260 firms that manage hedge fund assets of USD1bn or more from the US. And New York is still the biggest single centre of the industry by a margin, with no fewer than 157 of those firms, up from 139 a year before – with the city accounting for over 42 per cent of all Global Billion Dollar Club assets.
 
London remains in second place overall, being home to 57 of the Club members and representing just under 14 per cent of the total Club assets. The Asia-Pacific region accounts for around 2.5 per cent of Club assets, with Hong Kong housing 12 Billion Dollar Club members and eight member firms based in Singapore.
 
In addition to the global assets survey and the latest Global Billion Dollar Club analysis, the HFI Global Review also features detailed insight on regional hedge fund industry trends and developments in the Americas, Europe and Asia – as well as on funds of hedge funds and institutional end-investors.
 
The publication also contains exclusive global data sets on new fund launches, fund shutdowns and current/historical performance across all major strategy areas – as well as analysis of key global regulatory trends and in-depth interviews with leading hedge fund managers and investors.