LONDON (HedgeWorld.com)–The FTSE Hedge Global Index is on a roll, with four positive months of performance, albeit in modest terms for each month.
For the 12 months ended Dec. 31, the tabulators saw FTSE Hedge index gain 2.7%, while the FTSE All-World equity index gained 13.7%. Still, FTSE officials remain optimistic about strategies such as event-driven and long/short equity, which have driven recent index performance.
Directional and event-driven strategies expanded their lead over the non-directional approaches, which lost a combined 0.2% last month and finished the year at negative 1.1%. As arbitrage managers posted losses, event-driven and directional investment styles returned in excess of 85 basis points each.
Equity hedge funds and distressed managers in particular met success in December with each returning 1.7% and accounting for much of the FTSE index’s gains in December. Other directional strategies didn’t fare as well. Commodity trading advisers were up only 0.7%, and global macro managers lost 1.2% over the course of the month.