Prequin reports the hedge fund industry has achieved gains in positive territory for 10 months in a row, with aggregate August gains of 0.97 percent. This is the longest streak of month-to-month gains since the financial crisis, and suggests the hedge fund industry has finally found its feet.
Investors Are Taking Notice
As has been noted in previous articles, hedge fund flows have been largely positive throughout these 10 months indicating renewed investor confidence.
According to HFR’s Market Microstructure Report, hedge fund closures fell to 222 in the second quarter, down significantly from 259 first quarter closures. Concurrently, 189 new funds launched in the first quarter of 2017 followed by 180 startups in the year’s second quarter.
The trend of closures outpacing new startups has continued throughout 2017, with 481 closures versus 369 startups through the first half of the year. Market forces continue to punish poorly performing funds and reward the best performing funds with continued inflows. Although the total number of hedge funds is in decline, assets under management have continued to rise to record levels.
No Crisis of Confidence
Based upon data provided by eVestment, hedge funds, taken together, are up 5.5 percent this year, just 20 basis points below full year returns for 2016. Another way to express this is that hedge fund returns have nearly doubled in 2017 as compared to 2016.
Large investors are beginning to recognize that the transition from hedge fund investment to cheap stock bets and private asset strategies have been costly. This is but one of several reasons that hedge funds continue to grow assets under management.
It is becoming clear to the investment community that disappointing hedge fund returns are proving to be more cyclical than structural. The post financial crisis spawned an FOMC policy of exceedingly low interest rates, which artificially inflated stock prices and other asset classes. As these policies normalize, hedge funds will rise. Expensive valuations and low returns are making investment in private equity, venture capital and other non-traded asset classes less attractive. Hedge funds are certain to be the beneficiary of investment shifts.
What about Hedge Fund Jobs?
As investors of all stripes return to the hedge fund fold, job opportunities in the hedge fund industry will continue to rise. Stock pickers, with a proven record of accomplishment may have the best window of opportunity. Hedge funds that pursue an equity strategy are at the top of the heap in terms of gains this year.
As a result, one is likely to witness a resurgence of funds that follow an equities strategy, manifested in startups as well as in existing funds shifting into equity. Startups may offer the best opportunities, as will funds currently pursuing equity strategies.
This, coupled with the overall growth in assets under management, will be the drivers of job opportunities in the hedge fund industry. Continued improvement in the overall performance of the industry will not only entice investors to return to the fold, but also provide increased job opportunities for those desiring a career in hedge funds.
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