Hedge Funds Falter in March

April 5, 2005 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Hedge fund returns took a dive in March following a positive February, according to the S&P Hedge Fund Index.

The index fell 0.55% in the third month of the year, bringing the year-to-date total losses to 0.2%. The index is made up of three separate indices – the S&P Directional/Tactical, S&P Arbitrage, and S&P Event-Driven – all of which fell on the month.

The S&P Directional/Tactical fell 0.86% on the back of long/short losses that amounted to a 1.32% decline. The S&P Managed Futures, a component of the Directional index, rose 0.29% on the month. S&P pins the overall decline on uncertainty regarding Fed and inflation movement, as well as on increasing energy prices.

For more stories like this, sign up for the PLANSPONSOR NEWSDash daily newsletter.

The S&P Arbitrage Index fell 0.52% on the month, with year-to-date returns at 0.08%. Equity Market Neutral was the only sector of this index to see positive gains on the month. Convertible arbitrage, however, saw losses on the month, along with fixed-income arbitrage.

The S&P Event-Driven Index was down 0.28% on the month, with Special Situations managers having trouble with restructuring catalyst-driven value equities, according to the company.

In  February , hedge fund returns were up 1.7%, according to S&P.

«