Hedge Fund Exits Rise in September

According to Reuters, “Investors pulled out around five times more cash from hedge funds in the month to October 1 than in the prior period, during one of the most turbulent few weeks for stock and bond prices since the 2008 financial crisis dampened appetite for risk.”  The hedge fund industry is currently valued at $2 trillion.

Hedge Exits Rose to 3.17% in September

The GlobeOp Capital Movement Index tracks gross outflows from hedge funds. Hedge fund withdrawals had fallen to their lowest level since before the fall of the US financial systems, coming in at 0.58% in the month to September 1. Reuters reports that the decrease in withdrawals came as “investors swapped traditional ‘safe havens’ like the Swiss franc and gold in favour of portfolios expected to make money in all seasons.”  It shows that gross exits hit 3.17% in the month ending October 1, which was the fourth time exits have risen higher than 3% this year. They totalled around $170 billion in assets, or approximately £109 billion. Inflows were still net positive. They came in at 0.31% “on the back of a 3.48 percent gross influx of capital.”

Hedge Funds Face Uphill Battle to Secure Positive Returns for the Year

Hedge Fund Research’s HFRI index says that the average hedge fund lost 2.8% in September, pushing the average YTD hedge fund return down to negative 4.7%. Hedge funds in general will face an uphill battle to deliver positive average annual returns for 2011 in spite of concerns over Eurozone debt and fears of a global recession.