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The latest monthly TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Hedge Fund Flow Report notes that the hedge fund industry earned 0.6% in November, besting the benchmark S&P 500 Index’s 0.3% increase and marking the second consecutive month that the industry outperformed the S&P 500.
“Two months of outperformance signal a welcome shift from the dominant trend of the past 12 months, when the industry gained 6.2% while the S&P 500 rose 13.6%,” said Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
Although returns and cash flow improved in November, the past 12 months have not been so kind. Industry outflows totaled $21.2 billion (1.2% of assets) from December 2011 through November 2012, a sharp reversal compared with the previous 12-month industry inflow of $61.9 billion. While the industry lost assets last year, top-performing hedge funds continued to gain assets over the same time period.
The Hedge Fund Flow Report also noted that Emerging Markets hedge funds gained 1.3% for the month, the highest returns among the 13 categories tracked by BarclayHedge. Distressed Securities funds netted the best 12-month returns at 10.0%.
“Emerging Markets and Distressed Securities funds show that the riskier investments are generating the higher returns for a change,” said Charles Biderman, founder and CEO of TrimTabs. “For much of the past year, safer Fixed Income hedge funds took in the most money by dollar volume and delivered the highest returns.” Fixed Income funds took in $25.6 billion (12.5% of assets) and earned 9.0% over the past 12 months.
The December 2012 TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Survey of Hedge Fund Managers found that managers overwhelmingly expect the S&P 500 Index to rise this year, but few expect a repeat of last year’s strong performance. Managers expect financial and industrial stocks to be the top two sectors this year. Sixty hedge fund managers participated in the survey.
The TrimTabs/BarclayHedge database tracks hedge fund flows on a monthly basis. The TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Hedge Fund Flow Report provides detailed analysis of these flows as well as relevant topical studies. Click here for further information.
BarclayHedge is a leading hedge fund data vendor and one of the foremost sources for proprietary research in the field of alternative investments. From its origin as a research specialist and performance measurement firm, BarclayHedge has developed complete client services as a publisher, database and software provider, and industry consultant.
TrimTabs Investment Research is the only independent research service that publishes detailed daily coverage of U.S. stock market liquidity--including mutual fund flows and exchange-traded fund flows--as well as weekly withheld income and employment tax collections. Founded by Charles Biderman, TrimTabs has provided institutional investors with trading strategies since 1990. For more information, please visit us here.
