FAIRFIELD, Iowa, June 23, 2014 – Hedge funds gained 1.16% in May, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is up 2.35% after five months.
“An easing of Ukrainian turmoil fears, central bank signals of continuing easy money policies, and renewed M&A activity set the stage for a positive month for most hedge fund strategies,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
All but one of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had gains in May. The Barclay Emerging Markets Index jumped 2.68%, Equity Long Bias gained 1.04%, the Multi Strategy Index was up 0.88%, Healthcare & Biotechnology gained 0.87%, and Technology added 0.81%.
“As investors dialed up risk exposure, the emerging markets sector was a major beneficiary,” says Waksman.
The only losing hedge fund strategy in May was Equity Short Bias, which was down 2.15%. Year to date, Equity Short Bias has lost 6.67%.
The Healthcare & Biotechnology Index leads all strategies with a 7.03% gain for the year. Distressed Securities are up 5.05%, Fixed Income Arbitrage has gained 4.13%, the Event Driven Index is up 4.06%, and Convertible Arbitrage has gained 2.81%.
The Technology Index is down 4.62% through May, Pacific Rim Equities have lost 2.22%, and Global Macro is down 1.07%.
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 1.01% in May, and is now up 0.90% in 2014.
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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 was founded in 1985 and actively tracks more than 6,200 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories, 16 CTA categories, and 7 UCITS categories.
Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.