Four out of six of IndexIQ’s family of IQ Hedge Indexes recorded positive performance in April, with the IQ Hedge Long/Short Index leading the way with a return of 1.25 per cent.
The other positive performers were the IQ Hedge Market Neutral Index (0.91 per cent), the IQ Hedge Multi-Strategy Index (0.78 per cent) and the IQ Hedge Event Driven Index (0.38 per cent). The month’s biggest loser was the IQ Merger Arbitrage Index with a return of -1.01 per cent, while the IQ Hedge Global Macro Index returned -0.28 per cent.
“The upturn in equity markets started to look a little tired in April as a new set of worries grabbed the attention of investors,” says Salvatore Bruno (pictured), chief investment officer at IndexIQ. “The overhang of a potential British exit from the Eurozone and generally weak economic numbers were clearly of concern. Somewhat offsetting these concerns was the Federal Reserve’s continued dovish stance for US interest rates. Fitting with the insight that we issued to start the year that commodities may finally find a bottom, commodity prices surged with strength seen in energy, industrial metals, precious metals and agriculture.”
