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Barclay Hedge Fund Index Up 2.25% in February; Central Banks Buoy Rising Equity Markets

Written by superadmin | Mar 17, 2015 12:00:00 AM

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, March 17, 2015 — Hedge funds were up 2.25% in February, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index is up 2.14% year to date. “Risk factors were largely out of the limelight in February,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

“The ECB extension of aid to Greece and its new €1.1 trillion stimulus package rallied European equity markets, while rising prices for oil and other commodities calmed deflation fears.”

All but one of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had gains in February. The Healthcare & Biotechnology Index jumped 4.49%, Equity Long Bias was up 4.02%, the Event Driven Index gained 3.57%, Pacific Rim Equities rose 2.81%, Distressed Securities added 2.18%, and European Equities were up 2.09%.

The only losing hedge fund strategy in February was the Equity Short Bias Index, which dropped 3.70%. Equity Short Bias is down 3.70% year to date.

After two months in 2015, Healthcare & Biotechnology leads all hedge fund indices with a 6.81% gain. European Equities are up 2.81%, Equity Long Bias has gained 2.74%, Global Macro is up 2.71%, and the Event Driven Index has gained 2.49%.

The Barclay Fund of Funds Index gained 1.74% in February, and is up 2.02% 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 is the global leader in providing independent, research-based information services to the alternative investment industry. Founded in 1985, Barclay currently maintains data on more than 6,100 hedge funds, fund of funds, and CTAs. No one has been in the business of collecting alternative investment data longer than BarclayHedge.

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