BarclayHedge Blog

By Dermot Butler, Chairman of Custom House Global Funds Services Ltd.

In this month's paper Dermot Butler discusses the many factors a fund manager needs to take into account when establishing a new fund and how choosing the right fund administrator can help.

Read the full study here.

Labels: Barclay Insider Report, Fund Administration Research Articles, hedge funds

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, April 19, 2011– Managed futures lost 0.91% in March according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year-to-date, the Barclay CTA Index is down 0.39%.

“Perilous crosscurrents wrought by devastation in Japan, unrest in the Middle East, and higher headline inflation generated turmoil in futures markets,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

Read the entire Managed Futures Press Release by clicking here.

Labels: BarclayHedge press release, CTA

FAIRFIELD, Iowa, April 18, 2011 – Hedge funds gained 0.35% in March according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. Year-to-date, the Index is up 1.95%.

“The earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan, increasing turmoil in the Middle East, and the outlook for higher interest rates in the future helped to drive stock and bond prices lower in developed nations,” says Sol Waksman, founder and president of BarclayHedge.

Read the entire Hedge Fund Press Release by clicking here.

Labels: BarclayHedge press release, hedge funds

SwissAnalytics' most recent white paper examines the composition of the Swiss alternative investment market, focusing on single manager hedge funds and funds of funds.

In doing so, several features of the increasingly politicized European funds market and their repercussions on different types of fund-management structures are highlighted.

Read the full study here.


Hedge Fund Due Diligence Reports

BarclayHedge and SwissAnalytics have teamed up to offer hedge fund and CTA due diligence. As a BarclayHedge member, you receive an ongoing $500 discount on "Silver" Due Diligence reports and an exclusive 10% discount on your first "Gold" or "Ops" Due Diligence Report from SwissAnalytics.

SwissAnalytics conducts due diligence on the entire range of alternative investment strategies and managers located anywhere in the world in a timely and cost-effective manner. Services are currently offered along three core lines: "Silver"-, "Gold"-, and "Ops"-Due Diligence.

To download a sample "Silver" Due Diligence Report, simply fill out this short request form.

Labels: cta due diligence, due diligence, hedge fund due diligence, hedge fund risk, hedge fund risk analysis

By Robert W. Faff, University of Queensland; Jerry T. Parwada and Kian M. Tan, University of New South Wales

Using the hedge fund industry as their laboratory, this paper examines whether bank bailout programs initiated in seven countries during the 2007-2009 global financial crisis reduced contagion risk in the financial system.

Download the full article here. From the April 2011 issue of Barclay's Insider Report. Accredited investors can subscribe to the full newsletter for free.

Labels: Barclay Insider Report, Barclay Insider Report Guest Article, hedge funds

Hedge funds had a positive month in February reflected by gains in sixteen of our eighteen indices. The average return for the 3,071 hedge funds (ex. FoFs) that have so far reported a February return is +1.14%. The estimates for March, along with the number of funds reporting for each of our 18 sectors can be found at the link below. These indices are being continually updated as current returns for the underlying hedge funds are recorded into our system. As of this writing, 12 of 18 hedge fund sectors are showing positive returns for March.

Commodity Trading Advisor performance for February as measured by the Barclay CTA Index averaged +1.04%. March's estimate based on the performance of the Barclay BTOP50 Index is -1.59%.

Hedge Fund Indices Managed Futures Indices

From the April 2011 issue of Barclay's Insider Report. Accredited investors can subscribe to the full newsletter for free.

Labels: Barclay Insider Report, commodity trading advisor, hedge fund performance

The topical study from the April 2011 issue of The Hedge Fund Flow Report. Gain insight into industry trends and hedge fund asset flows before you make your next important decision.

• Hedge fund managers remain bearish on U.S. equities, albeit less so than in February. About 36% of the 77 managers we surveyed are bearish on the S&P 500, down from 40% last month, while only 28% are bullish, up from 26%.




• Overall bearish sentiment notwithstanding, hedge fund managers are not willing to bet big against U.S. equities. NYSE short interest decreased 73 million shares to about 3.3% of shares outstanding in the first half of March. Short interest sits at its lowest level since November 2007.




• Hedge fund managers are not willing to cut back on risk. About 18% aim to lever up in the next month, while 14% plan to decrease leverage. Managers reported an interest in increasing leverage in each of our past 10 surveys and NYSE margin debt increased in each of the past eight months . . .

Accredited investors can read the entire article for free. From the April 2011 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, flows into hedge funds, Hedge Fund Flow Topical Study

New York, NY – April 11, 2011 – The hedge fund industry raked in $34.9 billion (2.0% of assets) in February 2011, the heaviest inflow on record, reports BarclayHedge and TrimTabs Investment Research. Industry assets stand at $1.73 trillion, the highest level since October 2008.

“Flows are doubtless following performance,” explains Sol Waksman, founder and President of BarclayHedge. “The Barclay Hedge Fund Index posted an increase in each of the past seven months, and it didn’t hurt that February is historically the best month of the year for new hedge fund subscriptions. Meanwhile, public pension plans — many of which are underfunded — are devoting much more capital to the hedge fund space.”

Read the entire TrimTabs Asset Flows into Hedge Funds Press Release by clicking here.

Labels: BarclayHedge press release, CTA, flows into CTAs, flows into hedge funds, hedge fund flows, hedge fund research, hedge funds

New York, NY – April 5, 2011 – Hedge fund managers remain bearish on U.S. equities, according to the TrimTabs/BarclayHedge Survey of Hedge Fund Managers for March. About 36% of the 77 hedge fund managers the firms surveyed in the past week are bearish on the S&P 500, down from 40% in February, while 28% are bullish, up from 26%.

“While hedge fund managers remain bearish, hedge fund investors are showering them with fresh cash,” said Sol Waksman, founder and President of BarclayHedge. “Hedge funds posted the heaviest inflow on record in February, which probably owes in part to superior performance. The Barclay Hedge Fund Index has posted a positive return for seven straight months.”

Read the entire TrimTabs Asset Flows into Hedge Funds Press Release by clicking here.

Labels: BarclayHedge press release, CTA, flows into CTAs, flows into hedge funds, hedge fund flows, hedge fund research