“The hedge fund industry took in $56.6 billion in the 12 months ended in January, a big reversal of the outflow of $12.6 billion in the previous 12-month span,” said Sol Waksman, president and founder of BarclayHedge.
Industry assets dipped to $2.1 trillion in January from December’s five-year high of $2.2 trillion, according to estimates based on data from 3,362 funds. Assets rose 14% in the past 12 months but were down 13% from the all-time high of $2.4 trillion in June 2008.
The monthly TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Hedge Fund Flow Report noted that the hedge fund industry lost just 0.4% in January, far outperforming the S&P 500, which skidded 3.4%. In the past 12 months, the industry returned 8.2%, while the S&P 500 gained 21.5%.
Equity Long Only hedge funds, which led the industry in the past 12 months with a gain of 17.3%, had a rough January. “Equity Long Only funds had their worst showing in 20 months, losing 3.3% and more than reversing the 2.0% gain in December,” Waksman said.
The monthly TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Survey of Hedge Fund Managers finds most managers expect gold prices to rise in the next six months, while the share who thinks stocks will outperform bonds and precious metals is below a majority for the first time since August 2013. Managers are equally bullish, bearish, and neutral on the S&P 500 over the next 30 days and similarly split on oil prices over the next six months.
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.