Hedge funds beat index in January

Date: Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Author: Advisor.ca

Hedge funds were down 0.44% in January, outperforming underlying markets as the MSCI World Index declined 3.74% during the month with global markets off to a bumpy start in 2014.

Key takeaways for January 2014:

• Hedge funds surpassed the MSCI World Index by over 3% –  the largest outperformance in 20 months; almost 90% of fund managers outperformed underlying markets
• Developed markets investing hedge funds fared better than those focused on emerging economies, with North American, European and Japanese hedge funds delivering positive returns amid difficult market conditions
• Japan-focused long/short equities managers gained 0.42% in January and outperformed the Nikkei 225 Index by almost 9% during the month
• Greater China hedge funds ended their six month winning streak, with net asset allocations to fund managers at US$1.6 billion for 2013
• Latin American focused managers outperformed the MSCI EM Latin America Index by 5% during the month
• Distressed debt investing hedge funds delivered their seventh consecutive month of positive returns — up 0.69% in January and 15% in the last 12 months