FAIRFIELD, Iowa, March 12, 2013 – Hedge funds gained 0.42% in February, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is up 2.92% year to date. February is the ninth consecutive month of positive performance.
“Equity managers were able to report profits in spite of quite a few bumps in the road,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
“European managers largely avoided downdrafts in Italian and Portuguese equities and Asian managers side-stepped potential losses in Hong Kong and India.”
Overall, 16 of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund strategies had gains in February. The Barclay Pacific Rim Equities Index was up 2.12%, European Equities added 0.92%, the Event Driven Index was up 0.83%, Equity Long Bias gained 0.74%, Distressed Securities gained 0.71%, and Merger Arbitrage rose 0.68%.
“Distressed Securities managers benefited from a tightening of US corporate and high yield credit spreads,” says Waksman.
“An increase in the dollar value of M&A activity during the month provided trading opportunities for Merger Arbitrage and Event Driven funds.”
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 0.17% in February.
On the losing side, the Global Macro Index was down 0.30% in February, and the Technology Index slipped 0.05%. The Equity Short Bias Index has lost 6.34% 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 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.