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FAIRFIELD, Iowa, September 21, 2015 — Hedge funds lost 2.45% in August, according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The Index remains up 0.23% year to date.
“A surprise currency devaluation by the People’s Bank of China on August 11 was interpreted by investors as an indication of a weakening economy, and sparked a global sell-off of risk assets,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.
Fifteen of Barclay’s 18 hedge fund indices had losses in August. The Emerging Markets Index dropped 5.39%, its largest loss since May of 2012 when it dropped 5.39%. Emerging Markets have fallen 10.46% in the past three months.
“Emerging markets were hit especially hard as concerns of a global slowdown provoked fears of contagion and triggered sell-offs in commodities as well as Asian currencies, credits, and equities," says Waksman.
Healthcare & Biotechnology lost 4.38% in August, Distressed Securities fell 4.28%, and the Equity Long Bias Index was down 3.37%.
The Equity Short Bias Index was the big winner in August, with an 8.75% gain. Equity Market Neutral was up 0.42%, and Fixed Income Arbitrage added 0.12%.
At the end of August, the Healthcare & Biotechnology Index is up 9.96% for the year, Pacific Rim Equities have gained 5.19%, Merger Arbitrage is up 4.74%, and European Equitiess have gained 4.39%.
The Distressed Securities Index has lost 5.63% year to date, Emerging Markets are down 3.15%. and the Event Driven Index has lost 0.53%.
The Barclay Fund of Funds Index lost 2.10% in August, but is still up 0.92% in 2015.
Click here to view five years of Barclay Hedge Fund Index data, or to download 18 years of monthly data.
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.
