Barclay Hedge Fund Index Slips 0.29% in January; Healthcare & Biotechnology Opens 2014 with 5.97% Gain

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, February 18, 2014 — Hedge funds lost 0.29% in January, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index gained 11.11% in 2013.

“After a rousing end to 2013, January bore witness to a complete reversal of key trends as investor sentiment turned defensive,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

“Global equity markets sold off as emerging markets came under renewed pressure from slowing in China, political unrest in Thailand and Turkey, and currency devaluation in Argentina." Overall performance by hedge fund sector was mixed in January. Twelve of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had gains, while six indices had losses.

The Barclay Healthcare & Biotechnology Index jumped 5.97% in January, its largest one-month return since posting a gain of 6.27% in May of 2009.

“The Healthcare sector was a beneficiary of the move by investors out of cyclical stocks and into defensive stocks,” says Waksman.

The Barclay Equity Short Bias was up 1.95% in January, Distressed Securities gained 1.55%, European Equities were up 1.20%, Convertible Arbitrage gained 1.10%, and Fixed Income Arbitrage rose 0.94%.

In contrast, the Emerging Markets Index lost 2.47%, Pacific Rim Equities were down 0.96%, Equity Long Bias gave up 0.86%, and Global Macro lost 0.55%.

The Barclay Fund of Funds Index was down 0.36% in January.

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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 6,200 hedge funds, funds of hedge funds, and managed futures programs. Each month Barclay provides updated performance rankings for 38 Hedge Fund categories, 16 CTA categories, and 7 UCITS categories.

Institutional investors, brokerage firms, and private banks worldwide utilize BarclayHedge indices as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund and managed futures industries.