All six of IndexIQ’s family of IQ Hedge Indexes recorded positive performance in March.
“March saw a strong rebound in the equity markets and positive returns across our index family,” says Salvatore Bruno, Chief Investment Officer at IndexIQ. “Volatility persisted, however, as the US Treasury unexpectedly announced new regulations governing so-called ‘tax inversions’ in early April. While this is already having an impact on some cross border M&A activity, we don’t believe domestic deals will be impacted.”
Designed as investable benchmarks that replicate the performance characteristics of sophisticated hedge fund strategies, the IQ Hedge Indexes comprise the first family of investable benchmark indexes covering hedge fund replication/alternative beta strategies.
“Performance in our IQ Hedge family of indexes was positive across the board in March,” adds Adam Patti (pictured), CEO of IndexIQ. “One of the trends we recommended that investors and advisors watch for this year was hedge fund strategies potentially becoming more attractive and all six of the IQ Hedge indices ended the first quarter of 2016 in positive territory.”
“Merger and acquisition activity was largely positive across sectors in March,” adds Bruno. “Exposures in our IQ Merger Arbitrage Index from the consumer, industrial and healthcare sectors all helped drive positive returns. Positive contributions from the technology sector also played a role in March’s returns.”