FAIRFIELD, Iowa, October 10, 2017 — Hedge Funds notched their eleventh consecutive monthly increase in September with a gain of 1.32%, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The index has risen 7.57% so far in 2017 and has increased 9.60% for the 11 month period that began last November.
“Hedge funds recorded broad gains in September as global equity markets continued their rise,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge. “It has been something of a perfect storm for hedge funds the past few months as conditions have led to positive returns in nearly all sectors. Last month, 15 of 16 sub-indices rose.”
Healthcare & Biotechnology Still Leads
Healthcare & Biotechnology was the leading sub-index for September with a 2.34% increase. Equity Long Bias (2.22%), Technology (1.96%) and Event Driven (1.80%) also had strong months. Fixed Income Arbitrage (-0.41%) was the only index to record a decline last month.
For the year to date, all sectors have recorded gains. Technology (17.00%), Healthcare & Biotechnology (16.78%) and Emerging Markets (14.44%) lead the way while Distressed Securities (2.20%), Global Macro (2.18%), and Equity Market Neutral (1.75%) lag the pack.
“After posting negative returns from 2013 through 2015, emerging markets have been among the top three sectors in both 2016 and 2017,” says Waksman. “This sector has historically struggled with keeping inflation under control, but is doing a much better job of late. Emerging market governments can now sell bonds denominated in local currency rather than in USD.”
For a complete table of BarclayHedge Hedge Fund Index and Sub-Index performance for September, click here.
Sol Waksman is the founder and president of BarclayHedge. Waksman is an industry expert and experienced media source, providing perspectives on hedge fund and managed futures trends.
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 6,600 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.