Hedge funds, as measured by the Dow Jones Credit Suisse Hedge Fund Index, finished July up 1.42 per cent with eight out of 10 strategies in positive territory.

In total, the industry saw estimated outflows of approximately USD8.5bn in July, bringing overall assets under management for the industry to approximately USD1.75trn.

The equity market neutral and fixed income arbitrage sectors experienced the largest asset inflows on a percentage basis for the second consecutive month, with inflows in July of 3.03 per cent and 0.22 per cent from June 2012 levels, respectively.

Managed futures funds posted positive results in July, with the month almost a mirror image of June in which managers were able to recoup the previous months' losses and rebuild positions according to stronger signals.

Event driven funds generated overall positive performance in July against the backdrop of European sovereign debt issues and growth concerns in developed economies. M&A activity experienced a slight uptick in newly announced transaction volume in July and credit strategies generated gains during the month as a result of supportive technical strength and improved risk sentiment.