Relative Value, Event Driven leads gains on M&A and special dividends;
HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index posts 5th gain in 6 months
Hedge funds posted gains in November as equities traded in a wide intra-month range following the U.S. Presidential election and as global financial markets focused on the U.S. fiscal cliff. The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index gained +0.35 percent for the month, posting its fifth gain in the last six months, according to data released today by HFR, the leading global provider of indexation, research and analysis of the global hedge fund industry.
Relative Value Arbitrage (RVA) and Event Driven (ED) strategies were top contributors in November, with both the HFRI Relative Value Arbitrage Index and HFRI Event Driven Index gaining +0.7 percent. RVA strategies remain the top area of hedge fund strategy performance YTD, with the HFRI RVA Index up +9.5 percent through November. All RV sub-strategies posted gains for the month, with top contributions from strategies specializing in Volatility Arbitrage and Asset Backed exposures, with these gaining +1.2 and +1.1 percent, respectively. The HFRI RV: Asset Backed Index is the top area of sub-strategy performance YTD, with a gain of nearly +16.0 percent through November. Relative Value Arbitrage strategies have continued to attract investor capital for steady performance, having posted gains in 41 of 47 months since December 2008.
Event Driven strategies, which invest broadly across Merger Arbitrage, Distressed and Activist situations, posted the sixth consecutive monthly gain, benefitting from a strong M&A environment, as well as increased and special dividends announced ahead of possible tax increases. The HFRI Merger Arbitrage and Distressed Indices gained +0.8 and +0.6, respectively, in November, while Activist managers posted gains of +2.8 percent.
Equity Hedge funds advanced +0.4 percent in November, with top contributions from Quantitative Directional and Fundamental Growth, which gained +1.4 and +0.8 percent, respectively. The HFRI Macro Index was essentially flat for the month, as gains in Currency, Discretionary and Active Trading funds offset declines in Commodity and Systematic Diversified CTA strategies.
Emerging Markets hedge funds also posted their sixth consecutive gain as total hedge fund capital invested in Emerging Markets reached a record level, with the HFRI Emerging Markets Index gaining +0.9 percent. The HFRI Fund of Hedge Funds Composite Index also posted a gain of +0.4 percent, in line with the single-manager HFRI Fund Weighted Composite.
“Hedge funds posted gains in November while limiting, modifying and, in some cases, reducing exposure on continuing fiscal, political and geopolitical uncertainty,” said Kenneth Heinz, President of HFR. “Arbitrage and Event Driven strategies were able to generate gains as a result of strategic positioning for the uptick in the M&A environment, including not only deal announcements and spread tightening, but also an increase in special dividends and a motivation to close transactions by year end. With a significant amount of near term uncertainty, managers continue to find attractive opportunities in these areas, while also preparing for a continuum of possibilities for resolution of, or failure to resolve risks associated with, the US fiscal cliff.”
