M&A helps hedge funds see three months of gains

Hedge funds made money from a stronger dollar and Brexit uncertainty to post gains for the third consecutive month in May.

The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index gained 0.4 % for the month, according HFR, a hedge fund data provider.

The May gain brings year-to-date performance for the composite index to 0.74%, topping most equity market indices, including the Nasdaq, Nikkei, FTSE and Dax, but narrowly trailing the S&P 500.

Event-driven strategies led the May performance, with the index that tracks these strategies increasing 1.3% on accelerated mergers & acquisitions activity. The rolling three-month gain for this strategy was 6.5% and year-to-date it gained 2.5%.

“Hedge funds posted gains for the third consecutive month in May, effectively navigating uncertainty associated with the upcoming Brexit vote, as well as shifting expectations of the timing and frequency of near term rate increases by the Federal Reserve,” said Kenneth J. Heinz, president of HFR.

©2016 funds europe

HAVE YOU READ?

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

The tension between urgency and inaction will continue to influence sustainability discussions in 2024, as reflected in the trends report from S&P Global.
FIND OUT MORE
This white paper outlines key challenges impeding the growth of private markets and explores how technological innovation can provide solutions to unlock access to private market funds for a growing…
DOWNLOAD NOW

CLOUD DATA PLATFORMS

Luxembourg is one of the world’s premiere centres for cross-border distribution of investment funds. Read our special regional coverage, coinciding with the annual ALFI European Asset Management Conference.
READ MORE

PRIVATE MARKETS FUND ADMIN REPORT

Private_Markets_Fund_Admin_Report

LATEST PODCAST