FAIRFIELD, Iowa, August 18, 2016 — Hedge funds gained 1.99% in July according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year to date, the Index is up 2.66%.
“The confluence of post-Brexit central bank accommodation, positive Q2 earnings, and signs of a strengthening US economy supported global equity markets and created favorable conditions for all hedge fund strategies,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
All of Barclay’s 17 hedge fund indices had gains in July. The Healthcare and Biotechnology Index gained 3.97%, Equity Long Bias was up 3.05%, Distressed Securities gained 3.02%, Emerging Markets were up 2.58%, and the Technology Index added 2.13%.
After losing more than 12 percent in January and February, Healthcare and Biotechnology has rebounded with gains in three of the last four months.
At the end of July, eleven of Barclay’s hedge fund indices have positive returns in 2016, while six have losses.
Emerging Markets are up 6.76% year to date, the Event Driven Index has gained 6.22%, Distressed Securities are up 5.56%, the Convertible Arbitrage Index has gained 2.83%, Merger Arbitrage is up 2.83%, and the Multi Strategy Index has gained 2.48%.
In the loss column, European Equities are down 5.91% for the year, the Healthcare and Biotechnology Index has lost 4.93%, Pacific Rim Equities are down 2.63%, and the Equity Market Neutral Index has lost 0.74%.
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 1.30% in July, but is still down 1.99% year to date.
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Sol Waksman is an experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends. For more commentary or background, call 641-472-3456 or email swaksman@barclayhedge.com.
BarclayHedge is the global leader in providing independent, research-based information services to the alternative investment industry. Founded in 1985, Barclay currently maintains data on more than 6,300 hedge funds, fund of funds, and CTAs. No one has been in the business of collecting alternative investment data longer than BarclayHedge.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.