FTSE Group, the global index provider, announces Tuesday it has issued a licence to leading Japanese financial services group, SMBC Friend, to use the FTSE Hedge Index Series as the basis for its fund aimed at the Japanese retail market.
The FTSE Hedge Index is designed to allow product issuers to cut through the complexity of the retail asset class. It consists of twelve open and investable hedge funds, representing eight hedge fund strategies, three hedge fund styles and an overall global hedge fund.
FTSE calculates both daily indicative and monthly actual values for these FTSE Hedge Indices.
The FTSE Hedge Index has strict entry criteria for constituent funds including independently audited financial accounts, a minimum of $50 million AUM, a minimum two-year track record and is open to new investors.
The index objective is to reflect the risk and return characteristics of the universe of open and investable hedge funds.
Paul Hoff, Managing Director, FTSE Asia Pacific said, “FTSE Hedge Index is increasingly used by investors worldwide as the basis of investment products. With its transparent structure and rules-driven approach, FTSE Hedge brings clarity to the complex world of hedge investment.”