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FUND PERFORMANCE
Hedge funds that trade emerging markets advanced almost 6 per cent in the first four months of the year, with China, India and Middle East specialist managers leading the pack, as gains from regional equities and cryptocurrencies drove profits in early 2021.
Emerging market hedge funds – as measured by Hedge Fund Research’s Emerging Markets (Total) Index – surged 5.92 per cent over the four-month period. The strong start to the year continues the sector’s commendable 2020 run, which saw EM managers deliver annual returns of 12.68 per cent on average.
India-focused strategies generated an 11.46 per cent return in
NEWS
The hedge fund and alternative investment sectors now have a vital role to play in boosting UK growth and innovation as the country recovers from the economic impact from Covid-19 and readjusts to life outside the EU, the Alternative Investment Management Association and Alternative Credit Council have said.
AIMA, the global hedge fund industry trade body, and its private credit affiliate the ACC, have published a new policy paper setting out how, in practical terms, the industry can support the UK government’s goals in increasing economic growth, boosting productivity and levelling up across the UK.
The policy objectives, which cover
AWARDS
Hedgeweek, in partnership with Bloomberg, is starting the analysis of US and Americas-based hedge fund performance ahead of the annual Hedgeweek Americas Hedge Fund Awards. Hedge funds who wish to be considered for the awards must have a fund profile on Bloomberg’s Hedge Fund Database by 25 June, 2021.
ENERGY MARKETS
The recent spate of victories by sustainability-focused shareholder activists against oil giants could spark renewed price volatility, heralding outsized opportunities for hedge funds betting on energy markets.
GUEST ARTICLE
By Don Steinbrugge (pictured), Agecroft Partners – Hedge fund capital introduction events, in which investors and fund managers meet in a speed-dating environment, have increased in popularity within the past decade.
These events allow participating allocators to review the details of a large number of fund managers, and select a subset of those they would like to meet in a brief one-on-one meeting or group roundtable setting. These can be either intro or update meetings. These capital introduction events are an efficient way for investors to quickly complete initial due diligence on a large scale. They also allow managers to
hedgeweekLIVE NORTH AMERICA
The second day of this year’s hedgeweekLIVE North America digital summit featured a lively discussion on fee structures – a perennially-thorny issue in the global hedge fund industry – with panelists delving deep into the emerging trends in incentives and fee models, and exploring the ways in which start-up hedge funds can better align their interests with those of investors.
hedgeweekLIVE NORTH AMERICA
COMMODITIES
Gresham Investment Management, the diversified commodities and futures pioneer, has raised USD30 million for a new strategy which taps into growing investor demand for actively-managed commodity exposure amid signs of a new bull market in the sector.
The Gresham Dynamic Commodities strategy will focus on a range of asset types spanning precious metals, energy, agriculture, livestock and food and fibres, and aims to be less constrained than traditional beta offerings in this sector.
Commodities have historically been considered a portfolio diversifier in times of drawdowns, mitigating the impact of inflation rate changes and providing a hedge against geopolitical event risk.
NEWS
CIAM, the London- and Paris-based activist hedge fund, has launched a fierce attack on reinsurance firm SCOR SE’s corporate governance and management succession plans, and is calling for shareholders to vote against the re-election of chairman Denis Kessler and board directors and to oppose proposed remuneration policies at the company’s AGM later this month.
The activist hedge fund, which wrote to SCOR last year to address “significant corporate governance deficiencies”, has welcomed the separation of the roles of chairman and CEO following the departure of Kessler as CEO.
But in a letter addressed to SCOR’s board of directors and Augustin de
Q&A
With long-term volatility likely to remain at elevated levels, the LFIS Vision UCITS – Perspective Fund is primed to capitalise on opportunities in rangy equity markets.
The fund – which is run by Edouard Laurent-Bellue, partner and head of fund solutions at the Paris-based quantitative investment manager – allocates to traditional credit and equity assets, while also taking a “fresh look” approach at the established model of multi-asset investing.
The Perspective strategy’s carry and contrarian approach, built around strict allocation and risk management guidelines and limited idiosyncratic risk, has helped it not only weather 2020’s turbulent environment but also demonstrate
COMMODITIES
The recent dip in oil markets is a “healthy correction” which heralds attractive buying opportunities, according to London-based commodities-focused hedge fund Westbeck Capital Management, which maintained its positive Q1 momentum despite March’s pullback.
