Emerging Markets Fuel 2Q Hedge Fund Performance
We examine second quarter hedge-fund performance. Which Morningstar categories fared best?
Hedge funds slightly underperformed the S&P 500, which returned 5.81% in the second quarter despite its loss in June. Also edging out hedge funds in the second quarter, the MSCI World Index returned 5.82%. Second-quarter performance lifted hedge funds to a year-to-date return of 7.77%, beating the S&P's 6.00% year-to-date return, but the MSCI World outperformed both with a gain of 8.01% for the year to date. Within the second quarter, April contributed the most to hedge fund performance, with a monthly average return of 2.08%.
Emerging markets continued to lead the way, despite warnings of an impending market correction, with average returns of 9.7% in the second quarter. Among those, China hedge funds fuelled strong performance, recovering from the market setback in late February. Solid energy markets in Russia and Brazil bolstered returns for many of the emerging-markets funds. Managed futures recovered from a lacklustre first quarter, producing a mean total return of 6.82%, with trend-following strategies paving the way.
Rounding out the top performers, equity net long and equity variable funds saw returns of 5.84% and 4.87%, respectively, benefiting from the strong equity markets. They, too, prospered from the solid energy sector and information technology. The financial sector for hedge funds continued to lag, and Japanese equities struggled slightly. Event-driven and merger-arbitrage funds surged ahead, yielding 4.82% and 3.45%, respectively, benefiting from ongoing corporate activity. According to Thomson Financial, mergers and acquisitions increased 62% over the same period in 2006.
Despite lagging all hedge fund categories, convertible-arbitrage funds stayed in the black with average total returns of 2.66%. Overall, all hedge fund categories produced consistent returns and continued to contribute positively to 2007 year-to-date returns. Strong economies in emerging markets and a rise in global equities pushed hedge fund returns upward for the year.