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FAIRFIELD, Iowa, September 8, 2005 - Hedge funds gained 1.01 percent in August according to statistics gathered by The Barclay Group. The Barclay/GHS Hedge Fund Index is up 5.45 percent year-to-date through August. Barclay's Fund of Funds Index gained 0.77 percent in August, up 3.23 percent for the year.
In managed futures, the Barclay CTA Index gained 0.56 percent, however it remains down 1.39 percent for 2005 after five years of gains. The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures the performance of the largest traders, was nearly even with a rise of 0.03 percent in August. The BTOP50 is still down 0.75 percent year-to-date.
"More than 87% of the 881 hedge funds that have thus far reported an August return have outperformed the S&P 500," says Sol Waksman, president of The Barclay Group. "Even after 2 consecutive months of losses in March and April during which hedge funds lost 2.38%, the year-to-date returns for this sector continue to make an eloquent case for investment diversification."
Nearly all hedge fund strategies tracked by Barclay were profitable in August, with 17 of 18 indices showing gains.
Equity Short Bias rose 2.06 percent, and is up more than 8 percent for the year. Emerging Markets gained 1.79 percent, while European Equities and Pacific Rim Equities were up 1.63 percent and 1.44 percent, respectively. Only the Technology Index lost ground, down 0.44 percent.
Four of the six Barclay CTA indices gained in August. The Diversified Traders Index was up 1.21 percent, and Discretionary Traders 0.88 percent. Barclay's Currency Traders Index dropped 0.97 percent.
The Barclay Group, founded in 1985, actively tracks more than 4700 hedge funds and managed futures programs. The Barclay/Global HedgeSource hedge fund indexes are utilized worldwide as performance benchmarks for the hedge fund industry.
Go to www.barclaygrp.com to view Barclay's constantly updated data, or to download seven years of Barclay/GHS Hedge Fund Index data or 18 years of Barclay BTOP50 Index data.
Call Sol Waksman at 641-472-3456 for more hedge fund and managed futures commentary, or email sol@barclayhedge.com.
