FAIRFIELD, Iowa, February 15, 2011– Hedge funds gained 0.52% in January according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge.
“Equity markets in the USA and across Europe continued to rally for a fifth consecutive month,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
“Concern over the unrest in Egypt took a back seat to an improving macro economic picture.”
Overall, 14 of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices gained ground in January. The Barclay Convertible Arbitrage Index was up 2.13%, Fixed Income Arbitrage gained 1.97%, Distressed Securities were up 1.63%, Technology rose 1.64%, and the Multi Strategy Index gained 1.28%.
“High yield bonds rallied even though yields on the 10 and 30-year Treasuries rose,” says Waksman.
“The improving economic outlook simultaneously raised concerns of Fed tightening and reduced fear of defaults.”
The Equity Short Bias Index was down 0.49% in January, Global Macro lost 0.58%, and Emerging Markets slid 0.47%.
“In developing nations where prices for energy and food make up a larger percentage of monthly expenditures, inflation concerns negatively impacted equity markets,” says Waksman.
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 0.27% in January.
Click here to view five years of Barclay Hedge Fund Index data, or download 13 years of monthly data.
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 was founded in 1985 and actively tracks more than 6,000 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories and 16 CTA categories.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.