Managers
Managed futures traders gained 0.64 per cent in July according to the Barclay CTA Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The index is down 1.04 per cent for the year.
The BTOP50 Index, which tracks 20 of the largest CTAs, showed a modest gain of 0.60 per cent and is down 4.20 per cent through the end of July.
“Managed futures traders were able to eke out gains last month in spite of the cross currents in commodity markets,” says Sol Waksman (pictured), founder and president of BarclayHedge. “Profits resulting from US dollar weakness against the euro and a new record
Global fixed-income manager Western Asset has taken a minority ownership stake in Flat Rock Global, a new alternative asset manager focused on developing yield-driven investment strategies in asset classes under-served by the mainstream banking sector.
John Thomson of Thomson Equity also invested alongside Western Asset.
The investment supports Flat Rock Global’s investment strategies, including their initial fund, Flat Rock Capital Corp, a business development company focused on investing in first lien, floating rate debt of middle market companies.
“We are pleased to partner with Western Asset, one of world’s premier asset managers,” says Robert K Grunewald (pictured), CEO
Trading volume in options and futures on the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX) each reached new all-time highs on Thursday, 10 August.
In VIX options at CBOE, a reported 2,562,477 contracts traded on Thursday, surpassing the previous single-day record of 2,382,752 contracts on 3 February, 2014. Year-to-date through the end of July, average daily volume in VIX options was 687,181 contracts, 11 per cent ahead of the same period a year ago.
In VIX futures at CBOE Futures Exchange (CFE), a reported 939,297 contracts traded on Thursday, surpassing the previous single-day record of 791,788 contracts on 15 October, 2014. Of the 10
Hedge Funds gained 1.11 per cent in July according to the Barclay Hedge Fund Index compiled by BarclayHedge. The index has risen every month this year and is up a cumulative 5.48 per cent for 2017.
“July was another winning month for the hedge fund industry as the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ both rose to new all-time highs,” says Sol Waksman (pictured), founder and president of BarclayHedge. “Market conditions have been ideal for steady gains across all market segments.”
Emerging Markets continued their recent strong run and led all sectors with a gain of 2.65 per cent in
AlphaDesk, a cloud-based Order Management and Portfolio Management System provider to hedge funds and other investment managers, posted record new business sales for the first half of 2017.
Kevin Galliers, COO, says: “We signed 36 new hedge funds during the first half of 2017, which is significantly greater than any other six-month period since the firm’s inception. Interestingly, 40 per cent of our new business was the result of competitor replacements, with the rest being upgrades from manual processes and new hedge fund launches. The market is now fully embracing the significant cost savings associated with software that is deployed
The Lyxor Hedge Fund Index was flat in July, with six out of 10 Lyxor indices ending the month in positive territory, according to the latest Lyxor Alternative Investment Industry Barometer.
The month’s top performer was the Lyxor L/S Equity Market Neutral Index with a return of 2.3 per cent, followed by the Lyxor L/S Equity Variable Bias Index which returned 1.4 per cent., while the Lyxor Global Macro Index was the month’s biggest loser, down 1.0 per cent.
The strong earnings season in the US supported Event Driven and L/S Equity funds. The rise in EUR vs. the
Pala Investments (Pala), a multi-strategy investment company focused on the mining and metals value chain, has launched Pala New Energy Metals, an investment fund dedicated exclusively to investing in raw materials critical to the energy storage and clean energy value chains.
Pala New Energy Metals, which is launched with initial capital of USD150 million, has a mandate to invest in projects and businesses that provide leverage to the shift in the global energy mix, facilitated by advances in battery technologies and their industrial applications.
Pala New Energy Metals will have flexibility to invest across the capital structure, and will
Hedge funds extended their gains for the year and were up 0.92 per cent during the month of July according to preliminary figures released by EurekaHedge. Underlying markets meanwhile, as represented by the MSCI AC World Index (Local), were up 1.64 per cent over the same period.
On a year-to-date basis, managers gained 4.32 per cent while underlying markets were up 9.41 per cent.
EurekaHedge writes: “Returns were largely positive across the board with all key regional mandates in the green with emerging market mandates excluding Eastern Europe & Russia delivering the best returns. The US economy continues to
BRI Partners has launched the BRI Quality Small Cap Index (BRIQSC), Powered by Wilshire. Created and owned by BRI Partners, LLC (BRI), with Wilshire retained as index consultant and calculation agent, this unique index provides a first of its kind enhanced beta benchmark for US small cap equities.
Adam Brass (pictured), founder of BRI, says: “The new BRI Quality Small Cap Index delivers enhanced beta returns previously available only through active strategies for a fraction of the cost. Investors and asset managers are deeply engaged in debate about alpha, beta, smart beta and passive versus active strategies. At BRI we
Last month, hedge funds posted their strongest performance since January as 2017’s performance drivers – Equity Hedge, Technology, Healthcare and Emerging Markets – led the way, according to HFRI.
The HFRI Fund Weighted Composite Index (FWC) gained 1.2 per cent in July, the ninth consecutive monthly gain and the 16th in the trailing 17 months, bringing YTD performance +4.8 per cent and extending the record Index Value to 13,571.
As previously reported by HFR, total hedge fund assets increased to USD3.1 trillion to conclude H1 2017, as the industry experienced net capital inflows for first time since Q3 2015.
