FAIRFIELD, Iowa, October 13, 2010– Hedge funds gained 3.63% in September according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year-to-date the Index is up 5.26%.
“September’s gain puts the Index into new high ground,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
“The prior peak was established at the end of October 2007 when the Index gained 2.87 percent. It’s taken three years for hedge funds to recover from the financial meltdown and break their previous high.”
Overall, 17 of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had gains in September. The Barclay Healthcare and Biotechnology Index jumped 6.35%, Equity Long Bias gained 5.86%, Emerging Markets was up 4.98%, and Global Macro rose 3.65%.
“Propelled by a robust rally in global equities, a boom in mergers, and declining credit spreads, 90 percent of the hedge funds that have sent us returns for September have reported a profit,” says Waksman.
The only losing strategy in September was the Equity Short Bias Index, which fell 6.45%.
“Selling the market short has been a difficult strategy in 2010,” says Waksman. “After four winning and four losing months this year, short-sellers are now back in the hole.”
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 2.11% in September, and is up 1.25% for the year.
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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 5,800 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.