Equity long/short (ELS) is a prominent strategy within the diverse hedge fund landscape, accounting for a significant portion—approximately $1.3 trillion, or 29%—of total hedge fund assets as of fourth quarter 2024, according to Hedge Fund Research, Inc. (HFRI). Put simply, ELS managers take long positions in securities they perceive as undervalued, and short positions in […]
February 2025
We expect developed markets (DM) value and small-cap equities to outperform, given our economic views and their steep valuation discounts. Regionally, we believe US equity performance will not match the level set in 2024, allowing European, Japanese, and emerging markets (EM) equities to perform more in line with broader developed markets. Within emerging markets, strong […]
December 2024
In the years following the Global Financial Crisis (GFC), the appeal of hedge funds among institutional investors has diminished. This shift has been driven by legitimate concerns about high fees, a lack of transparency, and illiquidity. Yet, against this backdrop, hedge funds today offer a strategic opportunity for investors willing to navigate their complexities, with […]
July 2024
Over the past decade, executives overseeing corporate defined benefit (DB) pension plans have experienced significant regulatory reform and a full reversal of investment conditions. While rising liabilities once offset asset gains, the opposite is now true. Yet many organizations haven’t recalibrated their approach to plan management in response, leaving them exposed to unnecessary costs and […]
January 2024
On January 10, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) approved the trading of spot bitcoin ETFs, roughly ten years after the first application. The approval follows last year’s decision by a US Appeals Court that limited the SEC’s discretion in denying applications. While we doubt this decision will meaningfully impact sophisticated investors in the […]
January 2024
We expect equity long/short strategies will outperform their long-term average, due partly to the considerable rise in short rebates. This expectation is also linked to our view that global equity volatility will increase due to our economic expectation and ongoing geopolitical crises. Equity Long/Short Performance Should Be Above Average in 2024 Joe Marenda, Head of […]
December 2023
Introduction Aaron Costello, Regional Head for Asia, and Vivian Gan, Associate Investment Director, Capital Markets Research The path of global central bank tightening remains a top-of-mind question for investors after the recent stress in the US and European banking sectors. While financial contagion seems contained for now and has yet to spread to Asia, the […]
April 2023
We expect macro hedge funds to perform well, given our expectations that market volatilities will remain elevated and our view that inflation risks are skewed to exceeding expectations. We expect long/short managers will benefit from positive short rebates. Continued Inflation Uncertainties Underpin Our Optimism in Macro Hedge Funds in 2023 Meisan Lim, Managing Director, Hedge […]
December 2022