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Barclay Hedge Fund Index Down 0.32% in October; Healthcare and Biotechnology Drops 6.09%

Written by Chahn | Nov 29, 2016 12:00:00 AM

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, November 29, 2016 — Hedge funds lost 0.32% in October according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year to date, the Index is up 4.03%.

Ten of Barclay’s 17 hedge fund indices lost ground in October. The Healthcare and Biotechnology Index dropped 6.09%, giving back its 5.42% September gain. The Technology Index lost 1.19%, Equity Long Bias was down 1.15%, European Equities lost 0.64%, and the Equity Long/Short Index gave up 0.48%.

“Election uncertainties, somewhat hawkish Fed comments, and the release of September’s Fed minutes prompted investors to take some risk off the table,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

“The upshot was a fall in prices for equities, bonds, and commodities.”

On the positive side, the Distressed Securities Index gained 2.01%, Emerging Markets were up 0.63%, Pacific Rim Equities gained 0.31%, and the Equity Market Neutral Index added 0.18%.

At the end of October, 11 Barclay hedge fund indices have made gains in 2016. Emerging Markets are up 11.56%, Distressed Securities have gained 10.71%, the Event Driven Index is up 8.29%, Convertible Arbitrage has gained 4.35%, and the Merger Arbitrage Index is up 3.89%.

The European Equities Index is down 5.54% year to date, Healthcare and Biotechnology has lost 5.50%, Global Macro is down 1.28%, and Pacific Rim Equities have given up 1.08%.

The Barclay Fund of Funds Index lost 0.24% in October, and is down 1.53% in 2016.

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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.