FAIRFIELD, IOWA
The hedge fund redemption trend stretched to three straight months in August as the industry experienced $11.3 billion in outflows.
August’s redemptions represented 0.4% of industry assets and were an increase from July’s $8.1 billion in industry outflows, according to the Barclay Fund Flow Indicator published by BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions.
Coupled with monthly trading losses of $10.3 billion, hedge fund industry assets stood at more than $3.08 trillion as August ended, down from $3.12 trillion at the end of July.
The industry’s August redemption total resulted largely from outflows from hedge funds in the U.K. and Europe where redemptions reflected investors’ concerns over the ultimate shape of the U.K.’s exit from the European Union and troubling economic news from the Eurozone. Strong U.S. stock market performance early in the summer and positive economic news contributed to significant inflows to U.S. funds in August, but it wasn’t enough to tip the industrywide balance.
Data from the nearly 6,000 funds (excluding CTAs) included in the BarclayHedge database showed hedge funds in the U.K. and its offshore islands experiencing $14.4 billion in redemptions in August, 2.7% of assets. Meanwhile, the month’s outflows from funds in Continental Europe totaled $11.8 billion, 1.6% of assets.
The experience was different for U.S. hedge funds which brought in nearly $6.0 billion, 0.4% of assets, in August.
“Hedge funds in the U.K. and Europe continue to tip the industry balance to redemptions as investors fret over indicators suggesting a slowdown in European economies while a no deal Brexit remains a possible outcome of the U.K.’s Brexit conundrum,” said Sol Waksman, president of BarclayHedge. “That said, U.S. funds had a positive experience in August with investors buoyed by early summer equity rallies and the Fed’s July rate cut.”
For the 12-month period through August, the hedge fund industry experienced $194.1 billion in redemptions, 6.3% of industry assets.
While most hedge fund sectors reported outflows for the 12-month period, a handful experienced net inflows for the period. Event Driven funds took in nearly $17.0 billion over the 12 months, 11.6% of assets, while Macro funds added $14.3 billion, 6.9% of assets, and Convertible Arbitrage funds took in more than $508 million, 2.6% of assets.
Equity and bond market volatility continued to be reflected in those sectors with the greatest 12-month redemption volume. Fixed Income funds experienced $52.9 billion in redemptions over the period, 8.9% of assets, Equity Long/Short funds saw $38.0 billion in outflows, 17.4% of assets, Equity Long Bias funds shed $28.3 billion, 8.2% of assets, and Balanced (Stocks & Bonds) funds saw $24.8 billion in redemptions over the 12 months, 10.1% of assets.
Managed futures funds saw their redemption trend extend to 14 straight months in August. For the month, CTAs experienced $5.0 billion in net redemptions, 1.5% of industry assets. Redemptions from funds in the U.S. and its offshore islands contributed the bulk of the month’s redemptions as U.S. CTAs shed nearly $4.1 billion, 2.0% of assets.
For the 12 months through August, managed futures funds experienced $25.4 billion in redemptions, 7.1% of assets. A $900 million monthly trading loss left industry assets at $304.3 billion as August closed, down from $327.3 billion at the end of July.
The monthly Barclay Fund Flow Indicator, published by BarclayHedge, can be found here.
About Backstop Solutions
Backstop’s mission is to help the institutional investment industry use time to its fullest potential. We develop technology to simplify and streamline otherwise time-consuming tasks and processes, enabling our clients to quickly and easily access, share, and manage the knowledge that’s critical to their day-to-day business success. Backstop provides its industry-leading cloud-based productivity suite to investment consultants, pensions, funds of funds, family offices, endowments, foundations, private equity, hedge funds, and real estate investment firms.
BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop, currently maintains data on more than 7,100 hedge funds, funds of funds, and CTAs. Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Sol Waksman
BarclayHedge, a division of Backstop Solutions Group
(641) 472-3456