BarclayHedge Blog

The topical study from the December 2009 issue of The Hedge Fund Flow Report. Gain insight into industry trends and hedge fund asset flows before you make your next important decision.


We have observed in previous studies that there was a dramatic mean reversion in hedge fund returns over the past two years. In this study, we focus on the handful of funds that outperformed their peers in both years. What are the common characteristics of these “star performers?” Is it possible to identify them ex ante?

We found that:

• Less than 13% of all hedge funds posted positive returns in both 2008 and 2009. The bulk of hedge funds (68%) posted losses in 2008 and gains in 2009.
  
• The asymmetry persists when we compare hedge fund returns to their industry benchmarks. Only 14.9% of the funds beat their industry benchmarks in both years. The share of “double-outperformers” was higher among Equity Long-Short and Sector Specific funds.
  
• Hedge funds that outperformed their industry benchmarks in 2008 and 2009 are 24% larger than the average, though this is mostly due to their strong performance and lower than average redemptions in the past two years. . . .

Accredited investors can read the entire article for free.

From the December 2009 issue of The Hedge Fund Flow Report. The Hedge Fund Flow Report combines the accuracy of the BarclayHedge database with the analytical insight of TrimTabs Investment Research. The report is generated by TrimTabs Investment Research using the most current data on thousands of hedge funds. An annual subscription includes 12 monthly updates as well as a spreadsheet containing historical flow aggregates by category.

To download a free sample of the entire TrimTabs Hedge Fund Flow Report, simply fill out this short request form.

Labels: CTA, Hedge Fund Flow Topical Study, hedge funds