The Barclay/GHS Hedge Fund Index gained 2.22 percent in September, and is up 7.85 percent for the year according to flash estimates released today by the Barclay Group. Barclay’s Fund of Funds Index gained 1.61 percent, up 4.97 percent in 2005.
In Managed Futures, the Barclay CTA Index gained 0.40 percent, but is still down 0.62 percent for the year. The Barclay BTOP50 Index, which measures the performance of the largest traders, was up 1.66 percent in September.
“We’ve already received September data from more than 1900 hedge funds, and 87.6 percent are showing profits for the month,” says Sol Waksman, president of The Barclay Group. “Of this group, the average profit was 2.50 percent. For CTAs, the percentage of profitable September returns is running at 63.4 percent so far, but the average profit is 3.00 percent, half a percentage point higher than we’re seeing with hedge fund managers.”
In September, 17 of 18 hedge fund strategies tracked by Barclay were profitable. Barclay’s Emerging Markets Index jumped 4.51 percent, Pacific Rim Index gained 3.88 percent, Equity Long Bias was up 2.67 percent, and Equity Long/Short gained 2.29 percent. Only the Healthcare and Biotechnology Index was in negative territory, down 0.12 percent.
All six Barclay CTA indices showed gains, led by the Discretionary Traders Index, up 0.89 percent in September and 5.58 percent for the year. The Diversified Traders Index gained 0.65 percent, and the Financial/Metal Traders Index was up 0.51 percent.
Four of the six Barclay CTA indices gained in August. The Diversified Traders Index was up 1.21 percent, and Discretionary Traders 0.88 percent. Barclay’s Currency Traders Index dropped 0.97 percent.
The Barclay Group, founded in 1985, tracks more than 4,800 hedge funds and managed futures programs.