Investing October 7, 2003

Van Global Hedge Fund Index Up 1.2% in September

October 7, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - The Van Global Hedge Fund Index showed a 1.2% gain net of fees in September according to preliminary data from Van Hedge Fund Advisors.
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That data also reflected that the index has a preliminary 12.1% net year-to-date return.

September gains were fairly widespread among early reporting hedge funds with Emerging Markets, the most successful strategy so far this year, continuing to be a strong performer, according to a news release.

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Market Neutral Arbitrage funds appear to have corrected themselves after three straight losing months, due in large part to improved trading conditions in September for convertible arbitrage managers. Long/short equity funds are only showing slight gains for the month, on average, according to the data. The preliminary September Index return is based on approximately 250 early reporting hedge funds.

The Van Global Hedge Fund Index posted a 1.7%-net gain in August (See Van Global Hedge Fund Index Ends August With 1.7% Gain ).

Products October 6, 2003

Dow Jones to Unveil Arab Blue-Chip Index

October 6, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - Dow Jones Indexes will launch a regional blue-chip index covering Arab nations in the Middle East, the company announced.
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Unveiling of the Dow Jones DIFC Arabia Titans 50 index is slated for the first quarter of 2004. The index, which is based on the stock prices of 50 leading regional companies, was developed jointly by Dow Jones Indexes and the Dubai International Financial Centre in collaboration with the Dubai based investment bank SHUAA Capital, according to a news release.

Once launched, the Dubai Regional Exchange, a core component of the Dubai International Financial Centre, would be able to list financial products based on the index. SHUAA Capital, is the first investment bank that has expressed an interest to license and introduce a financial product based on the index, Dow Jones said.   

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The Dow Jones DIFC Arabia Titans 50 will be part of the Dow Jones Titans series of indices. The series comprises the Dow Jones Global Titans 50, Dow Jones Sector Titans 30 with 18 global sector indices, Dow Jones Asian Titans 50, 14 Dow Jones Country Titans indices (that cover Europe, Asia, and North America), Dow Jones Tiger Titans 50 and Dow Jones Islamic Titans 100.

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